Artemis Fowl and the Missing Fairies
by aperfectattitude
Summary: The LEP have their hands full when fairies begin to go missing underground, including several of their own officers. Their first suspect is the criminal boy genius, Artemis Fowl. Some AH. COMPLETE
1. Free To Go

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters from Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer does. Any new characters that were not in the originial series are mine.

**Authors Note: **This story, with an exception of the last chapter, was written before the release of the Opal Deception. So please keep in mind that it is completely different and has nothing to do with the latest book. There will be some minor Arty/Holly involved, but for those of you who don't like that pairing, the story is not based on those two inparticular. I just sort of worked it in along side the actual plot. I am not the best gramatical person, so please forgive any errors you might find. I edited it and had my friend edit it, so hopefully there are very few mistakes. Please review and let me know what you think. Try not to be too hard on me if you don't like it. Thanks.

**Artemis Fowl and the Missing Fairies**

**Chapter 1: Free To Go**

**Fowl Manor, Dublin, Ireland**

Artemis Fowl wearily made his way to his bedroom. He had just spent fourteen hours straight in front of his computer with little success. Ever since waking up to find those lenses in his eyes, he had spent much of his time trying to solve this mystery. Butler had returned after seeing his contact in Limerick about the lenses and had given Artemis a few things to think about.

Apparently, Butler himself was the one who had requested those lenses no more than a week before his arriving there. Butler had also told Artemis about a comment the man had made to him while there. He had said something about how Butler looked a lot younger this time then he had before. That in itself was strange because Butler admitted to feeling old and worn on the inside. Artemis knew that Butler did not admit his weaknesses easily and so his manservant must have been very worried about it to admit it so easily. What was also very strange was that Butler had absolutely no recollection of ever visiting Limerick since years ago.

So Artemis had spent the whole day researching the lenses. They were quite ingenious and he couldn't help but think they could have been one of his own inventions. He tried to figure out what the lenses could possibly be used for. They were clear, but yet they were made of the same kind of substance as sunglass lenses. Something nagged at him from the back of his mind, but he couldn't form the thought. It was something about sunglasses used for something...Artemis shook his head. It was giving him a headache and he needed sleep after staring at the computer screen for so long. Artemis had been having that feeling a lot in the last few days. It was almost as if he was forgetting something, something that would have to do with those lenses and the fact that Butler was older so quickly. Artemis decided he would meditate tomorrow after he let his mind rest for the night.

**Police Plaza, Underground Haven**

Captain Holly Short walked happily to her cubicle. For some reason she was in a really great mood that day and she wasn't going to let anything destroy it.

"Short! Get in here now!" Holly sighed. Well, almost anything. She turned around and ventured into Commander Root's office, wondering what it was that she had done this time. Root sat behind his desk, his face a darker red than usual.

"Yes, Commander?" Holly took a seat across from Root. The Commander rubbed his temples.

"Holly, why do you do this to me?"

"Commander?"

"You took off without an approval, leaving Fowl Manor. I should have your badge for this. You know how the council is. I have to be strict with you so you can keep your job. But when you go and pull stunts like that..."

Holly shifted uncomfortably. She figured it would be best to just keep her mouth closed this time. After all, she didn't have an excuse this time and she couldn't think of any. But she really hoped the Commander wouldn't take her badge. Being an officer was very important to her and she didn't know what she would do if she was fired. She waited for the Commander to say something else and just as he opened his mouth, a different voice spoke.

"Commander? We got trouble."

"Not now, Foaly! Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of something." Root growled. Foaly's face appeared on the screen behind Root.

"Sorry, Julius, but no can do." Root turned an even darker shade of red.

"One, don't call me Julius. Two, what is it?" He swirled his chair around to look up at the screen.

"We got a couple of goblins that escaped onto the surface. They just took E1, so they'll be arriving in Tara shortly. They didn't have clearance or anything. They were some of the ones that managed to escape getting arrested after the rebellion."

The commander shook his head. Goblins were the stupidest creatures above and below the planet and somehow managed to cause the most trouble. He grabbed his chart that showed where his officers were at. Muttering to himself, he said. "Trouble and his boys are taking their patrols around east Haven. They're to far out of the way. D'Arvit." He swore. Foaly looked over and saw that Holly was most likely in some sort of trouble and could use this chance to redeem herself. Although knowing that elf, she would only make things worse for herself. He chuckled inwardly before speaking.

"Commander? Why don't you send Captain Short? She's right there and she's more than capable of stunning them until Retrieval can get there." Holly looked up and smiled slightly at the centaur, as if to say thanks. The commander, however, glared at him.

"Shorts in a lot of hot water right now. She can't." Holly was going to protest but for once in her life, decided that it would be best to keep her mouth shut. It was a great struggle for her but she barely managed it. Root looked down at his chart again and sighed in defeat. "Alright, Short. One last shot. Don't screw it up. I can't keep covering for you."

"Thanks Commander. And don't worry, you won't regret it." She left the office quickly and Root shook his head. He was almost positive he would regret it. He knew that if any other officer had messed up as much as Holly, then they would have already been off the force. But Root could not bring himself to fire that Captain. She had a good heart and did what she thought to be best, even if it always ended up badly. Besides, she was the best pilot on the force, which had to count for something.

Foaly terminated the link and less than two minutes later, Holly appeared at the door to Ops. He let her in.

"So...what did you do this time?"

"All I did was leave the Manor! It wasn't as if I did something serious. Thanks Foaly, by the way, for getting me out of trouble. The commander looked as if he was going to fire me this time."

Foaly chuckled. "Holly, first of all, you know how Julius is about following every rule in the Book. Besides, you know he would never really fire you."

Holly snorted and Foaly knew that she didn't believe him.

Shrugging, he pulled out a pair of wings and handed them to the captain. As he was turning, he couldn't help but see the grimace on the elf's face when she saw the wings. She asked the question he already knew was coming.

"Can't I try out one of those Doubledex? They're a lot faster."

"No, I still have to check all those. You do remember who made those don't you?" Foaly's tail swished out of annoyance. His wings were a much better version.

Holly sighed. "Yes, Opal Koboi. But she's at Howler's Peak right now and isn't going anywhere for quite some time. I hardly think she booby-trapped the wings."

"Well, you never can be too careful. I'm taking no chances after what happened last time. I'm going through everyone of those myself. Besides, if I was paid a decent budget around here I'm sure I could produce much better models."

Holly snorted again. "You get more than a decent budget and enough funds rolling in here that you should have more than just a decent pair of wings. I wouldn't mention that to Root by the way. He almost had a heart attack last week when he saw the bill for your latest project. As it was he choked on his cigar."

Foaly chuckled. He could imagine it. Holly knew he would probably mention it to Root later on anyway. Foaly was the only one who messed with the LEP commander and was able to get away with it. He was indispensable and they couldn't afford to loose him. He was the only reason the fairies had been successful so far in keeping hidden from the humans. Without him, human technology would pass the fairies and that could be disastrous. There were only three humans who had ever been able to learn about the fairies and keep the memories long enough to benefit themselves. Holly cringed slightly as she remembered that they had just recently lost the memories that had become apart of them. She had seen a lot of mind wipes before and that one was probably the only one that she had ever felt was cruel. She hadn't really thought about it before, but stealing memories from people were wrong. Their memories were apart of them. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before having to mind wipe Artemis. She quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind so she could focus on the task ahead of her.

Foaly had been watching her as she was lost in thought, and then watched as she snapped back out of it. "What were you just thinking? You were out of it and staring off into space." He smirked as she quickly tried to cover up.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about...the goblins. Just wondering what the best way to take them down." Her lie was very unconvincing though and she knew it. Of course she knew how to take them out. Just stun them from the air with her Neutrino. Foaly shook his head.

"Well, you better get going before they cause anymore trouble." As Holly was heading towards the door, he added, "Hurry back, because there's something I wanted to show you." Holly gave him a questioning look but hurried out of the Ops room. Foaly rolled his new specially modified chair back over to his computers and brought up the file he had been looking over before the goblin news came in. It was Mulch Diggums arrest record.

**Ireland**

Holly finally made it above ground. It had taken her about twenty precious minutes, all because of some civilian thinking he was better than her. Holly had finally pulled out her buzz baton and threatened to use it. Only then did the annoying little sprite move. Holly shook her head. There was just no more respect for LEP officers these days. There had been a time when they were looked up to and highly respected. Now, they were given as much respect as a stink worm.

She made sure her wings were secured tightly before taking off into the night air. She pulled her visor down over her face and hovered in the air for a minute. A mud men vehicle drove by beneath her but she was invisible to them.

"Foaly? You there?"

"Always. What can I do for you Captain?" From the sound of his voice, Holly could tell that Foaly was munching on carrots.

"Can you tell me what direction those Goblins went in?"

"I can do more than that. Hang on a second." Holly could hear him typing quickly on his computers and suddenly she had a map on her screen. There was a green dot, which was apparently herself and about two miles east of her were two red dots, the Goblins. Holly groaned out loud. They were just outside of some small town. They would be entering in no more than fifteen minutes, tops.

"D'Arvit!" She swore.

"I suggest you reach them before they reach that town." Foaly said, matter-of-factly. Holly rolled her eyes and felt like muttering Duh but contained herself. "That's going to take some fancy flying." Foaly said and Holly had to grin at that. She loved flying, whether it is with wings or in a shuttle. It was the one thing she was good at. Without bothering to reply, Holly set the controls on her wings to turbo speed, the fastest option and took off in the direction of the Goblins.

She took the quickest route, which was flying straight over two towns on the way. She knew it was against regulations and it could probably cause her to become at the very least suspended. But she had very little choice if she wanted to reach those goblins before they reached that town. Goblins were incredibly stupid and could care less who saw them, including ignorant mud men. If a mud man had somehow caught a glimpse of them yet, there was going to be an uproar, especially if they got a picture. No doubt there would be pictures all over the internet within the hour if they had. Holly couldn't risk that and just had to hope that the centaur would keep his mouth closed about the route she had taken.

Holly allowed herself a glimpse at the beautiful country side as she flew by. Ireland was her favorite above ground place. It was the one place that mud men had not yet managed to destroy. The whole country it seemed was nothing but green. The air was purest here too. She could still taste the pollution and other filth the mud men had destroyed the atmosphere with, but here it was at least not as bad. She recalled the time when she had gone to Chicago to recover the C Cube from Jon Spiro with Artemis. The air there was hardly breathable. She had been lucky she had her helmet to filter it otherwise she might not have been able to survive. She wondered how mud men could stand it.

It took her only ten minutes to reach the Goblins. She spotted them below, just outside of the town. Foaly's voice came through the speaker in the helmet.

"Just stun them Holly. Retrieval can take care of the rest when they get there." Holly nodded, but then remembering that Foaly couldn't see her said, "Affirmative."

Holly pulled out her Neutrino and switched it to low so it would only stun them. She was just about to swoop in for a closer shot when she spotted something. "Foaly, is that what I think it is?" She said in a low voice. There was more tapping on a keyboard and Holly heard Foaly mutter "Holy Frond." Then, in a louder voice, he said, "Holly, get down there immediately." Holly swooped down and sure enough, when she was close enough to see clearly, there were the two goblins and between them was a Mud Girl. A teenager by human standards. It looked as though she was crying and frightened. The goblins were having fun conjuring fireballs in their palms and throwing them so that they landed in the dirt near her. Each time, the fireball would miss her by only a few inches and she would let out a squeak. This caused the goblins to laugh and persist in their "game."

Holly was just about to take a shot at one of them, when they both moved towards the girl and grabbed her. Each one took one of her arms and proceeded to try to drag her with them. Holly swore again. She couldn't risk taking a shot at the goblins now. She might miss and it the girl. It was highly unlikely that she would miss, in fact, it was next to impossible, but she couldn't take that chance. Growling, Holly did something that was against all regulations and would more than likely cost Holly her job. She unshielded and began shouting at the goblins.

"Hey Stupid! Over here! Yeah, I'm talking to you!" Holly watched as the goblins began looking around trying to find where the voice came from. Rolling her eyes, she wondered what she would have to do to get them to see her. Still they kept looking and finally she began waving her arms and shouting some more. The girl had spotted her right away and her eyes had gotten even larger. She looked as though she was going to faint. Holly almost groaned. This situation was turning out to be a whole lot worse than she had originally taken it for. Retrieval was going to have their hands full if this kept up. One of the goblins saw the girl looking and followed her gaze. He nudged the other goblin.

"Hey look. It's one of those LEP guys." One of the goblins said, as he took his tongue and licked his eyeball.

"Yeah, those guys are so annoying." The second goblin agreed.

"What should we do with him?" The first goblin asked.

Disgusted, Holly said, "First of all I'm a LEP girl, not a guy. Second of all, why don't you try and get me?"

"Oh, I have an idea. We can get the LEP chick." The second goblin looked very proud of himself, obviously thinking he had come up with that idea himself. The other goblin nodded and they released the girl to come forward. The girl backed up slowly, trying not to draw the goblin's attention back on herself. Holly took advantage of the girl being separated and aimed her Neutrino at the nearest goblin. One quick shot and the goblin was down. It took a minute for the other goblin to realize what had happened. The word Hey! had barely managed to leave his mouth before he joined his friend on the ground.

"Good job Holly. Retrieval is already on its way and should be there in a minute. Keep an eye on the girl so we can mind wipe her." Foaly said and Holly nodded. She flew over to where the teenager stood, still in shock. Holly landed on the ground and lifted her visor on her helmet so she could make eye contact. The Mud Girl squeaked again.

"You're a...a f-fairy." She said, noticing Holly's pointy ears. Holly nodded and she could see that the girl was becoming overwhelmed. Holly felt a little sorry for her. After all, she had just been threatened by two goblins, creatures she had never seen before and had never thought existed, and now she was talking to a fairy, another so-called mythical creature. The mud girl looked close to feinting and as it was, she was already hyperventilating. Holly layered her voice with the _mesmer_ and watched as the girl's face became relaxed and no longer frightened.

"You don't have to worry about the goblins anymore. Now, what is your name?" Holly knew that the mud girl would believe her voice to sound like a choir and wouldn't be able to help but answer or obey her.

"Mary."

"Okay Mary. My name is Holly. Now I need you too calm down and have a seat while I wait for some friends of mine." Mary nodded and Holly watched as she took a seat on a rock. Holly turned to the goblins and was relieved to find they were still unconscious.

Retrieval arrived shortly after. Holly explained the situation to the captain. "The girl's going to need a mind wipe and I suggest that you set up a perimeter to check to make sure there were no other mud men around."

"Sure thing, Captain."

When Holly was done, she took off back towards E1. As soon as Holly was back underground, she headed towards the Ops booth. Foaly buzzed her in and she was mildly surprised to see Commander Root in there as well. Holly took a seat on the couch next to the commander.

"Okay Foaly, we're both here, now what is this about? By the way, good job Short." Root grunted, while chewing on his unlit cigar. Foaly had forbidden him to smoke anywhere near his computers, so now the best the commander could do was chew on the cigars. Holly said a quick thank you, hoping that she was off the hook now for that incident after Fowl Manor. Just then, Foaly turned around to face them.

"I have something to show you Commander. I figured Holly would be interested as well."

"So you said, now get on with it." Root's face was still his normal red color. He looked as though what very little patience he usually had was quickly leaving. Holly silently willed Foaly to get straight to the point and not purposely aggravate the LEP commander. Normally Holly is amused to watch the two bicker, but she was not in the best of moods anymore and she was curious to see why Foaly had called them in. Luckily, Foaly seemed too excited or worked up about something to torment Root at the moment. She watched as Foaly brought up a file and turned around grinning.

"And just what are we looking at?" Root asked.

"Mulch Diggums' arrest record."

"Okay, what about it?"

"Look here." Foaly pointed to a date on the screen. Root and Holly both leaned in closer to look. Holly's eyes widened but Root still didn't get it.

"Foaly, explain."

Foaly sighed and this succeeded in only making Root's temper worse. Foaly could tell Holly already got it by her expression.

"How is that possible?" Holly breathed. Foaly grinned again.

"Well, I don't know for sure, but I have a theory."

"And the theory is...?" Holly knew that whenever Foaly had a theory, it was almost always right. He was a genius after all. Root was now about to blow his top. He did not like being left out and did not tolerate it at all. Holly wouldn't have been surprised to see steam rise from his head. Foaly must have noticed it too, because before he went on to explain his theory, he explained what Holly already had figured out.

"Okay, you see that date?" Foaly waited for Root to nod before continuing. "Well, it seems that this date was set the day after Mulch's arrest." The light finally began to dawn in Root's eyes. "This means that all of his arrests were void. Mr. Diggums is free to go."

"Are you sure? Isn't there something we still have against him? I mean, not all of it can be useless, right?" Root seemed desperate. There was no way he was going to let Mulch just walk away. Foaly shook his head.

"I'm sorry Commander, but we don't have anything against him. He's clean now. He could get a lawyer, but we have no case against him. We might as well save us the trouble and let him go now."

Root was chewing on his cigar furiously now. "But how? How is that possible? And I don't want some theory Foaly. I want hard core evidence."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have evidence, just a sneaky suspicion." Foaly admitted. Holly spoke up.

"With all do respect sir; Foaly's theories are usually true. Remember his last one about Diggums?" Holly pointed out and Root was silent for a minute.

"Alright, but it better be good." Root sat back down on the couch. Foaly's grin appeared again.

"I think we were outsmarted again." Holly's eyes widened again and Root stared at Foaly in shock. It wasn't so much the fact that they had been outsmarted again, but the fact that Foaly was willingly admitting it and grinning about it!

"Fowl?" Root asked and Foaly nodded. "But how? You don't mean he has his memories back?"

"No, I don't think he does. There was no way he could have recovered them. But I think he did this before he was mind wiped. The mud boy must have hacked into my system when I wasn't paying attention and changed the date."

"And you think it was Fowl why?" Root also knew it must have been him, but figured there was always a chance the mud boy was innocent. Root almost snorted. That mud boy wasn't capable of innocence.

"Didn't you notice how well Mulch and Artemis got along?" Foaly asked and Holly nodded. She remembered all right. Mulch had actually come to warn the mud boy when Carla Frazetti had sent a metal man and a monkey after him. True Mulch had been the monkey, but he had had a chance to turn the job down or run but he had gone along with it anyway. The two had become quite chummy earlier when they had been on their way to Koboi Labs as well. Foaly continued. "Not only did they get along, but can you imagine the two of them together? Artemis with his brains and Mulch with his skills? There would be no safe place above ground or below ground." Root had to agree with him there. Mulch was the best burglar in the business and Artemis was extremely good at coming up with plans, thanks to his high intelligence.

"So now what? If we let Diggums go, won't he run straight to Fowl?"

"It's likely, but we don't have much of a choice. We can't keep him in prison because we have no case. The only thing we can do is release him and keep an eye on him. If he tries to go anywhere near Fowl, we grab him and bring him back here. We don't want to risk Mulch bringing back his memories."

Commander Root grudgingly agreed. It seemed as though that was their only option. "Foaly, get a line to the jail and have a guard escort Diggums here."

"Yes sir." Foaly turned away to call the jail downtown. After he was done, Holly decided to ask something.

"Foaly? You just admitted to being outsmarted again, but you don't seem all that...mad about it. I've know you for how long now? And you have never been able to stand anyone getting the best of you. Now you're grinning." Root looked up too, wanting to hear this.

"Well, for some reason, I find it all quite amusing. The mud boy does not know we even exist, and yet he has managed to outsmart us again."

Root grunted. "I don't find it in the least bit amusing. I don't like being bested by a thirteen year old mud boy. And him being ignorant of it doesn't help much."

Holly chuckled. "It is ironic."

It was awhile before they finally watched Mulch being pushed along by a guard. Foaly buzzed him in and Root excused the guard. Once the guard was gone, Mulch looked around.

"Well, if it isn't the whole gang! I don't suppose you called me up here for just a cup of tea though, huh Julius?"

"Convict, don't start. If I were you I'd keep my mouth shut before you blow it."

"Blow what?"

"As much as I hate to say it...you're free to go." Root had Holly take cuffs off of Mulch's wrists. Mulch looked around surprised and then he gave a toothy grin.

"Really? Just like that?"

"On one condition. I plan on keeping a very close eye on you convict. I'm keeping a cell ready for you and one wrong move and I'll personally escort you there."

"Oh don't worry about me Julius. I plan on going straight." Mulch tried to grin convincingly but Holly snorted.

"Yeah, that'll be the day. What's that mud men phrase? Oh yeah, the day you go straight is the day I see pigs fly."

"Hey it's possible. I have a cousin that swears he's seen a pig fly before. A cow too. And my cousin's a trustworthy guy. Almost as much as myself." This time it was Root's turn to snort, causing him to choke on his cigar. Holly had to run and hit him on the back to stop him from choking, meanwhile, both Mulch and Foaly were laughing hysterically. When Mulch recovered his breath, he muttered to Foaly, "I think I'd better go before he recovers." Mulch headed towards the door but was stopped by Holly.

"Mulch, I agree with the commander. One wrong move and I'll be waiting there as well." Holly grinned and twirled her buzz baton. Mulch gulped. That buzz baton had given him quite a few marks on many occasions. Funny how just seeing Holly grin while holding a buzz baton was enough to send shivers down a dwarf's back. Nodding he left the booth.

Holly watched him go. This would not be the last time she would see that dwarf. Only little did she know that the next time she did see him, she would be in need of his help.


	2. Unstoppable

**Authors Note:** I decided to post again already, a little bit earlier than I had originally planned. Thank you for your reviews. They really help as far as pointing out mistakes and suggestians and just your thoughts. Please, keep them coming. Let me know if you find anything that doesn't sound right or any grammar errors, etc.

**me, obviously: **Yes, I have read the OD and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was sad but I think it is still one of my favorites of the series. Thank you for the review.

**myzticwolf:** Thank you very much

**Lady Emmi: **You're right about the being a new author, this is only my second fic, so I'm still getting used to it. It's also my first time writing an Artemis fic. The only reason I put that in about the lenses and Mulch going free I suppose is because I wanted to get a feel of how the characters needed to be portrayed. Also so that we know what paths the characters will be taking because in this chapter, it will be five years later. I realize that it may have started out like a lot of others, but hopefully in this chapter you'll see it take a different path. Thank you for the review and let me know what you think of this one. I'm open to any suggestions.

**refloc:** Thank you so much for your review. I really enjoy reading your story and I think your a great author, so I'm glad to have your opinion on mine.

**Milky Etoile: **That would be great if you want to edit it. I'm horrible when it comes to spelling and grammar, so if you would like to it would be a big help.

**Chapter 2: Unstoppable**

**Fowl Manor (5 years later)**

Artemis walked slowly down the grand staircase and then headed towards the dinning hall. He took his seat at the head of the table just as Butler brought out his food.

"Good Morning Sir." Butler said as he placed the plate in front of his charge. Butler than noticed the look on Artemis' face and almost groaned. "Another job?" he asked and Artemis nodded.

"There's a rather valuable jewel going on display in a museum in France. It's worth 1.2 million dollars." Butler whistled and nodded as he took a seat at the table. Normally Butler would remain standing as Artemis ate but Artemis had given him permission to relax whenever necessary. For some reason, just going up and down the steps made Butler become short of breath. Lately he had been working out a lot more than usual, and so now he was able to achieve more before tiring. Even with Artemis' permission, he always made sure he was on guard and alert.

"I've already researched and got the blueprints for the museum. It seems that once every two weeks they take the jewel out of it's case to clean and polish it. It takes them precisely one hour and fifteen minutes from the time they turn off the alarm until they turn it back on. There is a three minute window in which the jewel will be left unguarded as the guard exits the room to turn on the alarm. So in order to get the jewel, we must arrive during that hour and position ourselves so we are ready to take the jewel in that three minute window."

Butler smiled. Master Artemis was always two steps ahead. His plans were known to be a bit extreme from time to time, but they were always successful.

"When do we leave?" He asked.

"This afternoon. We must arrive there by tonight, that is when they are taking it out." Artemis replied.

"The private jet then?" Butler asked and Artemis nodded. Butler nodded as well and stood up to begin preparing.

Artemis watched him go and then turned back to his breakfast. He had spent the last two days researching and developing a plan. He would inform Butler on the way there about the rest of the plan, such as getting in and out of the heavily guarded museum.

Artemis Fowl the first and Angeline Fowl were currently in Italy visiting friends, with Juliet with them. She had gotten over her silly wrestling stage, still watching it occasionally but now more mature and a responsible bodyguard. She would often take Butler's place on some jobs, but she would also go with Artemis' mother to protect her. They often left for weeks at a time to go visiting various acquaintances throughout Europe. Artemis usually took advantage of their frequent absences to concoct another money making scheme. Ever since his father's recovery, he seemed determined to have the Fowl family go straight. Artemis wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. What was even more curious was why the sudden change in his father. Surely being held captive couldn't have affected him all that much could it?

So Artemis was forced to carry on his plans in secret. Artemis was surprised to find that he felt a little guilty about deceiving his parents. Guilt was a foreign emotion to him. In fact, any emotion is foreign to him. Artemis wondered if his father's new found conscience was getting to him.

Now that his parents were more involved with his life, he had to be much more careful. To hide his continually increasing money, he had to open a few secret bank accounts that his parents did not know about. If they were to see the large amounts of money, they would surely know that their son was deceiving them. For some unknown reason, Artemis could not bear to hurt his parents like that. Artemis shook his head, and got up from the table. Best to keep his mind on the upcoming mission. Just thinking about grasping that 1.2 million dollar jewel vanquished all thoughts of remorse.

**Paris, France**

Artemis and Butler sat hunched in the shadows of the museum, watching the guard. The guard was posted at a back door meant only for deliveries and employees. According to the data Artemis uncovered, it was the least secured door and was relatively close to where the jewel's case lies. It was close to midnight, so Artemis and Butler could see the guard basked in the light over the door but he couldn't see them. Butler had spotted a single camera near the door right away and Artemis had found a way to get to the door without being seen by the camera. Every fifteen minutes, the guard would get up and take his rounds, checking the nearby alleys leaving the door unguarded for two minutes. Artemis had been keeping a close eye and had timed everything on his watch. The guard was consistent, never taking longer than the two minutes to secure the area.

Artemis did some mental calculation and figured out precisely how long they had to get into the building, grab the jewel, and leave. He figured they would need to wait until the end of the hour and fifteen minutes. Coincidently, if they waited until the next time the guard went on his rounds in the alleys, Artemis and Butler would have just enough time to enter the museum and reach the room containing the jewel, just as the guard would be exiting the opposite side, giving them three minutes to get the jewel and leave the room before all the alarms protecting that room were activated. They would then have to wait until the guard who was in charge of the door, went back on his rounds before leaving the museum.

It was another fifteen minutes before the guard left towards the alleys. Artemis and Butler both moved silently towards the door, careful to stay out of the camera's vision. They were about five feet from the door when suddenly Artemis froze. Butler continued and went to work picking the lock on the door. When he had it opened, he turned and saw Artemis staring at the ground curiously.

"Artemis!" Butler hissed and Artemis looked up surprised, momentarily forgetting what they were doing. Realization dawned on his face and he hurried inside while Butler followed. Butler locked the door behind them. "Artemis? What was that about?"

"Not now old friend. I'll explain later. Right now we need to reach that room in time." Artemis quietly led the way, warning Butler of all the hidden motion censors and making sure to stay in the camera's blind spots. Artemis had memorized the layout of this floor and knew where every alarm was hidden. They reached the room one minute later than Artemis had hoped, leaving them only two minutes to get the jewel. The guard had already been gone for one.

Just as they entered the door, Butler spotted a dark small shape in the center of the room next to a glass case. Butler instinctively stepped in front of Artemis and drew his Sig Sauer. Artemis peeked out from behind Butler to see what was going on. He was just in time to see the figure wave at them before disappearing.

"Stay here Artemis." Butler whispered as he carefully made his way through the dim room to where the figure had been. After a moment he said, "Whatever it was is gone now." Artemis walked to where his manservant stood. There was a relatively large hole in the ground big enough to fit a small man or even Artemis. Artemis studied the hole while Butler hurried over to the jewel case. For some reason the hole and that creature seemed familiar. It triggered something in his memory. "A Dwarf." he muttered, but was instantly appalled at himself. First feelings of remorse and now talking about fairy tale creatures, and all in the same day! Artemis was beginning to fear for his sanity.

Then he felt Butler's hand on his shoulder. "Artemis, we need to get out of here right now. The jewel's already gone and this was there instead." Butler showed him an envelope which Artemis took. Not bothering to open it yet, he turned to leave, but not before taking one last look at the hole. They reached the door they had come in from with a few minutes to spare. They hid behind some old crates to wait until the guard would no longer be outside the door. Artemis tucked the envelope into the inside of his jacket and kept an eye on his watch. Eleven minutes passed with no incident and Artemis gestured to Butler that they leave.

Butler went out the door first, ready to attack the guard if for some reason he was still there. In fact, he was still there, but attacking him would be unnecessary. Butler found the guard sitting slumped against the wall unconscious. Actually, the more proper term would have been sprawled out. He had a small cut on the back of his head, showing that he had more than likely been hit on the head or else shoved into the wall. Butler could even detect a faint disgusting odor. The odor was almost gone, so he knew that it had been a few minutes since the smell had originally come, but it was still enough to make his nose scrunch up in disgust. Artemis came out the door and Butler saw a surprised look cross his face but was soon gone. Butler knew that it took a lot to surprise Master Artemis, as he usually suspected everything.

"Butler?"

"It wasn't me. He was like that already. From the dried blood on his head, I'd say it's been about a couple minutes."

Artemis nodded and turned to leave, but then he spotted another hole about ten feet from the door. Careful to make sure he was still out of range of the camera's eye, he examined it. It was without a doubt, the same kind of hole seen in the museum. It would seem that the creature made a quick stop on his way out to knock out the guard. But what Artemis didn't understand was why it would even bother. Apparently, whatever it was, tunneled, and would not need to surface. So why waste it's time to knock out the guard? Artemis would have to figure this out later. They needed to get away from the museum fast as the missing jewel would be noticed soon. Butler led the way to the airport where the private jet was stationed.

Butler started up the plane while Artemis sat in the back passenger area. He poured himself some Irish Spring Water and took out the envelope from his jacket. It was a pretty heavy envelope, when weighing it on his hand. Extremely curious now, Artemis carefully opened it. He was surprised to find a note with what seemed like a small golden coin. Artemis studied the coin first, and found that there was a hole in the center and there was a leather string tied to it to make a sort of necklace. Artemis peered closer at the coin and realized it was not a coin but a disc. Putting it aside temporarily, Artemis picked the note back up. He opened it to read:

Hey Kid,

Thought I'd return this to you. Sorry about the jewel though. I'll meet you at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow at noon.

M.D.

Artemis read the note twice before looking at the disc again. "Butler, change of plans. We're staying in France tonight." Butler just nodded and turned the jet around. Artemis looked at the disc again. _Thought I'd return this to you._ Apparently, Artemis had once had this disc before. But then why did this M.D. character have it? The even bigger question was why didn't Artemis remember it? It occurred to Artemis that the entire thing could be a trap. But Artemis' curiosity was getting the better of him, and for some reason, Artemis felt he could trust this M.D. Although he couldn't have said why.

When Butler landed the plane he came back and sat across from Artemis. Artemis could tell that he was debating whither or not to ask what was going on, so Artemis saved him the trouble and handed him the note and the disc. Butler read the note and then examined the "coin" and quickly discovered the same thing Artemis had, that it was a disc.

"Artemis, it could be a trap. We don't know anything about who this guy is."

Artemis thought for a minute and then said, "He somehow seems familiar, I think we can trust him. But you're right, it could be a trap so we must take precautions. Walking right into a trap does not appeal to me in the least. I have yet to be outsmarted and I'm not about to start now. We'll need to arrive early and secure that area."

Butler nodded. "You don't think it could be the police or anything?"

Artemis shrugged. "It certainly is possible, but unlikely. If it was the police, they would have grabbed us at the museum. Besides, I'm not sure any normal man can tunnel underground like that." He thought back to the museum. "When we were first entering the museum I felt a sort of vibration below me, as if there was something moving below ground. Whoever this M.D. is, he can travel underground and I think if we were to ally ourselves with him, there wouldn't be a single safe bank. I believe this M.D. tried to help us, however not all that much. He knocked that guard out when he didn't have to. He could have just kept going and nobody would have stopped him. No, I think he wanted to make sure we got out of there. It was a tad unnecessary though." Artemis took the disc from Butler. "We wouldn't happen to have a laptop on board by any chance, would we?"

Butler smiled. "As a matter of fact, we do. I figured it would be wise to keep one handy." He got up and reached into a compartment. He pulled out a laptop and handed it to Artemis, who immediately took it and put the disc in. Artemis was surprised to see it encrypted and even more surprised to see it was identical to his own encrypted diary. He had it un-encrypted it in under a minute and saw a few different files, including a diary written by himself and another file titled Fairy Book. It took over an hour, but by the time he had finished reading everything, his mind was swimming with memories. Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, he sat back.

"Artemis are you okay?" Butler asked when he noticed the teenager's pale face and dazed eyes. Butler was extremely surprised when he heard Artemis start muttering various words such as, "...Mulch...Holly...goblins...Koboi," Artemis' face scrunched up in disgust at the next part. "Crawling though Mulch's...recyclings."

"Artemis?" Butler asked again. Artemis looked up and after a moment, smiled. Not a smirk or a malicious grin, just a sincere smile. Butler didn't think he had ever seen Artemis smile like that before. It actually made him look like a normal eighteen year old for a moment.

"Yes Butler, I'm fine. In fact, better than I have in five years." Artemis handed the laptop over to Butler who began to read everything as well. As Butler was reading, Artemis's mind went over everything he had just recalled. He now remembered everything about the fairies and couldn't help but grin when he thought about how they would take it if they found out that he had outsmarted them once again and regained his memories. It would give him more than a little satisfaction to see their faces but Artemis had no intention of letting them know yet. They might decide to mind wipe him again and this time he might not be able to get anything past them. Artemis briefly let his mind wander to Holly. The Captain had not wanted him mind wiped, that much he had seen. Truthfully, Holly had been one of his few friends. Besides Butler, he hadn't really had anyone. After the incident with Opal Koboi and rescuing his father, Holly and he had actually begun to get along. Their relationship was not any normal friendship, as they were constantly bickering, but beneath that they had become friends. Artemis wondered if Holly would still consider him a friend.

Artemis looked back up just as Butler finished reading. By his expression, Artemis knew that he too, was feeling overwhelmed. Artemis grinned again as he watched Butler cringe and start to feel his face, recalling how it was that he no longer looked old.

"Well Butler, I think our suspicions about walking into a trap are no longer necessary. I must say, it'll be good to see our old friend Mulch again."

"Yeah, I wonder how our dwarf friend has been doing."

**Eiffel Tower, France**

Mulch arrived right at noon. He was busy eating something out of a carton and when he saw Artemis he grinned.

"Hey Arty! How's it been?" Artemis nodded his welcome and stuck out a hand, which Mulch shook.

"Mulch." He said and Mulch then turned to Butler.

"Hey big guy. You look good. How's Stinker doin'?"

"Juliet? She's fine. She just got her blue diamond tattoo." Mulch nodded, knowing what the tattoo meant. Artemis spoke up.

"Why don't we discuss things over a cup of tea? I saw a diner about a couple minutes walk from here."

Mulch nodded and finished the rest of his food, which Artemis had determined to be some sort of noodles, and threw the carton away. As they were walking, Butler, who had been walking behind the two, suddenly started to wave his hand back and forth in front of his nose.

"No offence Mulch, but you stink."

Mulch grunted. "Sun block. Without it I'd be fried within minutes. I don't want to take any chances." They reached the diner a few minutes later and the three took a seat at a small table in the back, so they would not be overheard. A waitress scurried over and asked for drinks. Artemis ordered a cup of Earl Grey tea and Mulch ordered a glass of spring water. Once the waitress was gone, Mulch turned to Artemis.

"Sorry I took so long in returning that coin to you. I had to lay low for a couple of years to get the LEP off my back. By the way, thanks for getting me out of there." Mulch grinned and continued. "You should have seen Julius' face when he told me I was free to go. I owe you big time."

Artemis chuckled. "You're welcome. I don't suppose you would owe me enough to hand over the jewel?"

"Sorry Arty boy. A dwarf's got to make a living."

"Fair enough. I suppose returning my memories to me was payment enough. All though I must say that you picked an odd way to return them. Why not simply come to my Manor?"

"Well, when the LEP released me, they threatened me by saying they were keeping a close eye on me and that one wrong move and they'd have me back in my cell. By the way, I'm pretty sure they know how it was that my record became useless. By the look on their faces, they weren't to happy about being outsmarted by a mud boy, especially one who, at the time, did not know we existed." Mulch said and Artemis chuckled. "But when they released me, I figured they had some way of tracking me. Sure enough, when I was far enough away, I found a little device they planted on me. I didn't want to arouse their suspicions right away, so I left it on me for the time being."

"It's not on you now is it?"

"No, I took it off about three months ago. As soon as I knew it would be safe and that the LEP weren't keeping as close on eye on me anymore. Once I got out, I went down to Mexico. Turns out they got a lot of good dirt down there and I have a buddy down there that was happy to let me stay while I was lying low. I didn't do any major jobs, just little minor ones, like pick pocketing and that kind of stuff, just to keep me occupied. But when I heard you were going after some expensive jewel, I figured I could meet up with you and get back in the game at the same time."

"How, may I ask, did you learn about my going after that jewel?" Artemis asked.

Mulch grinned. "I have contacts all over the place. That's the thing about dwarves, we blend in with humans pretty well. It just so happens, I have a relative in Ireland and when I got out, I asked him to keep and eye on you. Apparently you've been pretty active the last five years, starting up new bank accounts."

Artemis looked at him in surprise, which was a rare thing, to see Artemis Fowl surprised and it seemed to be happening a lot in the last day. "But how could you have possibly known what we were planning? Butler and I were the only ones who knew." Mulch just grinned again. Artemis turned to Butler. "It seems we will have to update our security measures around the manor and I'll have to update all of my security programs on my computers as well." He thought a moment and then added. "I think we need to order a bug detector as well." Mulch laughed.

"So how is it you have so many contacts everywhere Mulch?" Butler asked and Mulch shrugged.

"Hey, you meet a lot of people when you're into thievery."

"You steal a thousand dollars worth of stuff and then ask them for their number to call for information later?" Butler asked sarcastically.

"Nah, but you have to sell the stuff you steal though right? That's how I meet a lot of people, because they usually have friends everywhere too. By the way, you wouldn't believe where I have a contact now. An old buddy of mine was just accepted into the LEP about a year ago."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Really? A dwarf?"

Mulch shook his head. "Nope, an elf. I think I gave all dwarves a bad name." Artemis chuckled.

"Well, that must prove handy. You'll be forewarned if they decide to come after you."

"Yeah, that's how I knew I was safe to come up here. It seems Foaly grew tired of me sitting around doing nothing. So I ditched the tracker device on some Mud Man and headed this way. By the way, that's a pretty good job you did last night. If it hadn't been for me, you would have gotten that jewel. That's impressive for a Mud Boy."

"Yes, well I prefer to take advantage of my intellect and not just charge in there like other criminals, half of which get caught in the act. I find that that if you plan everything out and leave yourself plenty of back doors to escape, you have a very little chance that you can get caught. I assume it was you that knocked that guard out?"

Mulch grinned. "The dirt had a bit of air in it, so I decided to put it to good use. You should be thanking me though."

"Why is that? The guard would have been going on his rounds and no one would have known we were there."

Mulch took a sip of his water before shaking his head. "Actually, when I was right underneath him, I heard him get a call from another guard alerting him the jewel had just been stolen. He was just about to go in and look for you. I have no doubt that Butler here could have easily taken him, but at least my way, he wouldn't have gotten a look at you to be able to identify you later on."

"Yes, but instead you let him get a look at you. Doesn't that endanger the People's existence?" Butler asked.

"Nah, I have a feeling that the guard wouldn't be to eager to run and tell everyone that a dwarf knocked him out with gas. Even if they somehow managed to believe it was a dwarf, he'll still be the laughingstock of France. I think he'll just say someone came up and rammed him into the wall. But I made sure I stayed in the shadows, so he more than likely didn't even get a good look at me."

"Well it seems I do owe you a thank you for your help Mulch." Artemis said and Mulch said, "No problem." Artemis was silent for a moment. "Mulch, I have a proposition for you." Mulch sat up straight.

"I'm listening."

"How about a partnership? Everything we get, we split 50/50."

Mulch's eyes grew big as he thought of all the possibilities. "With your brains, and my skills, we would be unstoppable."

Artemis nodded and then smiled his vampire-like smile. "So is it a deal?"

Mulch grinned and stuck out his hand, "Deal" as Artemis shook it. Together they _would_ be unstoppable.

**Police Plaza, Haven**

Holly rushed towards the Police Plaza, not surprised that she got there in record timing. Most of haven was empty. It seemed most fairies were locking themselves in their homes, venturing out only occasionally. There were many fairies who were going about their lives as though nothing was wrong. In a way, Holly admired them. A LEP officer was always forced to take action in times of disasters. They were always involved, which usually led to a lot of stress. Civilians did not hold the responsibility of keeping the lower elements safe. But Holly had to admit that having that responsibility only made the job more worthwhile. This was what Holly lived for; piloting shuttles, kicking bad guy butts, and occasionally bossing around civilians was an added bonus.

Holly arrived at the entrance to Police Plaza and quickly went in. She was met with a group of about thirty fairies. She knew why there were here. She pushed past them and headed to Commander Root's office. She found him in there as well as Foaly.

Root sat behind his desk and Foaly stood off to the side. Holly had never, before these last few days anyway, see Foaly this serious or the Commander this weary. Lines of stress etched across his face making him look at leas a hundred years older than he really was. Holly took a seat on a chair facing the Commander.

"Any news?" asked Holly and Root grunted, burying his face into his hands. Foaly answered for him.

"Another one's missing."

Holly looked up in surprise and then groaned. "Who?"

"Chix Verbil." Holly's eyes widened.

"Chix? When?"

"He was last seen last night. We have two witness saying that as he was walking home, two cloaked figures approached him and took him into an alley and nobody's seen him since."

Holly sank lower into her chair. That was the seventh LEP officer gone missing, on top of five civilians as well. They were all silent for moment.

"Sir? What do you want me to do about all the civilians at the entrance? They all want to know what's going on. I recognized a few as some of the families of those who are missing. They want to know if there's any news n them."

Root looked up wearily and sighed. "I'll take care of them. I just wish I had some better news to tell them." Holly nodded and watched him as he made his way out to the front of Police Plaza.

"You look exhausted Holly." Foaly commented.

Holly nodded. "I worked a double shift and only got about five hours of sleep before having to report back again." Foaly nodded, understanding.

"Consider yourself lucky that you got those five hours. Julius has had to get whatever little sleep he could in his office the past couple of days."

"What about the other officers?"

"Well, ever since the first one went missing a week ago, it seems everybody is working double shifts. Trouble Kelp just got done with a triple and wanted to take another shift. The commander ordered him to take a day off and sleep before he kills himself."

Holly chuckled. "You got to hand it to Trouble though. He always puts others ahead of himself and he's determined, hardly ever gives up. No one can ever accuse him of being egotistical or self-centered."

"Yeah, you can say that again about not giving up. From the look he had, he would have put up quite a fight if he hadn't been talking to his superior officer. That was why the Commander had to order him to go home, otherwise he would still be working right now."

Just then, Root came back in. He sighed heavily as he plopped down into his chair. There was silence again, until Holly finally asked, "Commander, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay Holly. All of Haven is panicking, few are even coming out of their homes, because they're all scared they're going to be next. We have twelve missing and nothing like this has or even remotely similar has ever happened to us. The council is frustrated that we haven't caught whoever it is yet and all of the officers are about ready to drop down from exhaustion. On top of all that, we don't have the slightest clue as to who's behind this whole thing." Root said this unusually calm, due to his weariness. He didn't snap or anything, which somewhat worried Holly. Root turned to Foaly.

"Foaly? Any theories as to who it might be?"

Foaly hesitated for a minute, cautiously scratching his neck. "Well, I ran some scans earlier and I couldn't find anyone that stood out, except for one."

"Who?"

"One Artemis Fowl." said Foaly and Root and Holly both looked up at him.

"Fowl? Do you really think he's behind this?" Root asked.

"Personally, no. But the council does and so do a few others. I see no reason why it should be him."

"Why? He kidnapped Holly before." Root pointed out.

"Well, yes, but that was before he changed. You see, he was right about the People having a positive influence on him. When I went through his memories to see what made him tick, even I couldn't figure it all out. That boy is some piece of work-"

"Foaly…" Root said, warning him to get back to the point.

"When he cooperated with us, we changed him for the better. But as soon as we mind wiped him and erased his memories of the People, our influence left with the memories. So he returned to that monster he was before. He's been quite active these last five years, his accounts have grown quite a bit, and his parents know nothing about it."

"Okay, so if he returned to that monster, wouldn't that mean he was capable of kidnapping fairies again?"

"Not necessarily. If he somehow discovered the fairies again, he should have had a total recall, which should trigger some of those feelings he had before, making him not much of a monster anymore. Besides, this isn't his style, he would have told us or left us some clue as to who did it, just to play with us, that way he can get whatever it is he wants from us, like last time with the gold. I highly doubt he would do this just because he feels like it or wants revenge. I don't think he's behind it, but I do think you should at least send an officer to watch him and make sure he isn't keeping any fairies or shows any signs of having them."

Root was silent, letting everything Foaly had just told them sink in. Finally he made a decision.

"Okay, since this is our only lead for the time being, we're going to go with it. If Foaly's right and the Mud Boy didn't do it, then we'll have to figure something else out. But I'll send an officer to check him out. If we see any signs pointing that he's behind it, then we'll act."

"Commander, if Fowl's behind it, he'll already know that we suspect him. He could have a trap set up."

Root thought a minute before saying, "You're right, we'll just watch him for a little while, and go from there." Root picked up his list of officers and their schedules. "Okay, I'm going to send Corporal Bough. Foaly, call him in for me." As Foaly went to the door to call for him, Holly started to protest.

"With all do respect Commander, I think I should be the one to go. I know Fowl better than anyone else here. It'll be better to have first hand knowledge of the manor and Fowl himself. Corporal Bough is a rookie. He doesn't know anything about Artemis, just the stories."

"I know Holly, but I need you down here right now. You're one of my best officers and…I need your help with this crisis."

"But Commander-"

"Short! You're staying here and that's an order!" Root's face was now taking on it's familiar red hue. Holly backed down.

"Yes sir." She muttered. Foaly still stood at the door, having just sent an officer for the Corporal. He arrived a minute later and Root gave him his instructions.

"You're to report above ground and keep an eye on Fowl Manor. Stay hidden and away from the manor itself, but alert us to any suspicious activity going on there."

"Yes sir." The Corporal looked excited to be appointed such an important mission and scurried out of the office. Holly had to fight the impulse to scowl at the Corporal, and instead turned and left for her own cubicle. She was almost there when she heard Foaly calling her. She turned back and waited for him to catch up. Once he caught up, they both started walking again. Holly was still fuming about not getting to go and Foaly knew it.

"Holly, it's not that he thought you couldn't do it. He knew you were the most capable."

"Well then why didn't he let me go? It's better than sitting around here waiting and doing nothing."

"Julius just doesn't want anything to happen to you. You're one of his best officers and truthfully one of his favorites. He figured if Fowl is behind it, sending an officer would prove to be dangerous, and so he knew that if you went, it could make things worse since you know Fowl."

"I can look after myself."

"Maybe, but he also wants you to stay here in case something happens here. You and Trouble are the best Recon officers, no matter how reckless you are. But if you aren't doing anything, come with me to Ops to keep an eye on Corporal Bough." Holly grudgingly agreed and followed the centaur to the booth.


	3. Reunited

**I decided to update once a week or every other week. Please keep reviewing, I've only been getting a couple, I want to know how I'm doing and any mistakes or something like that. Thank you to refloc and notyouraverageblond for your reviews.**

**Chapter 3: Reunited**

**Fowl Manor**

Artemis sat in his study, printing off blueprints to a certain exhibit in England. As it was printing, Artemis noticed the small container on one of his bookshelves. It contained the lenses that he had planted in his eyes five years previously when he had been mind wiped. He had spent many weeks trying to discover what they were but with little success, he had eventually just put them there, only occasionally thinking about them. Now he knew what they were and how they had come to be. He smiled at the ironic thought that he was to smart for himself sometimes.

There was a knock at the door to his study. "Come in."

Mulch walked in, and took a seat on one of the chairs. It had been three months since the two of them had teamed up and they had hit many museums, banks, and even very rich houses. Artemis came up with the plans and Mulch could get into any building. Needless to say, Artemis' bank accounts have increased quite a bit more.

"Any news?" Artemis asked Mulch as he began going through the printed blueprints.

"Plenty. Apparently our LEP friends are having some problems down below." Artemis looked up from the papers.

"Such as...?"

"From what I hear, seven LEP officers and five others have gone missing."

"Missing? How? Anyone I know?"

"I don't think so. I had a list of names but I didn't recognize any of them."

Artemis allowed himself a quick sigh of relief, although he wasn't sure why he was suddenly so concerned. For a brief second he had been worried that Holly was one of them, or Root. He quickly banished those thoughts and concentrated back on Mulch who was still talking.

"...they've just been disappearing. They're not being taken from their homes either, apparently only when they're out and about are they being taken. The latest one gone missing was last seen walking into an alley with two others and hasn't been seen since. Oh, and here's the best part."

Artemis waited for Mulch to continue. "Evidently the council and quite a few others are blaming the whole thing on you." Artemis was not surprised. After all the trouble he had caused the People, he couldn't expect them to just forget about him. They had suspected him to be the one trading with the goblins in the Goblin uprising and if fairies were getting kidnapped, then they would think it was right up his alley. He leaned back into his chair and sighed.

"I wonder if they'll be able to get through this one without our help." Mulch said and chuckled, but Artemis remained silent. Whoever was behind it was either getting revenge, trying to take over, or just insane/cruel hearted (which amazingly were very similar), it was always the case. Unfortunately, the People could consider Artemis to be in any of those three categories, making him the most probable suspect.

"Yes, especially if they are going to blame me. They'll just waste to much time accusing me while whoever is really behind it continues with their plans."

Mulch nodded. "So what do we do?"

Artemis was silent again and then said, "Nothing. Leave the People's affairs to the People. We'll continue on with our plans in London. This may prove to be our hardest job yet, which will only make it more interesting. Nevertheless, I'll have Butler keep an eye on the security cameras. We may be getting a visitor soon." Mulch nodded again and turned to leave the room, leaving Artemis alone.

He needed to clear his mind to concentrate on the upcoming job. It would be in the Museum of World History and from what Artemis had seen, it had the most complex security system yet. All though, no where near as bad as the Spiro Needle. It should prove to be no big deal for Mulch though. Artemis planned on waiting outside using his laptop, He had recently developed a few new gadgets that, once hooked up to the system, would enable Artemis to control the whole buildings security from his laptop. All he would have to do is guide Mulch through the building using small headsets. Mulch had the more difficult job though. He needed to reach a security box to hook up Artemis' invention, after that, it should be a lot easier. Putting aside all fairy-related matters, Artemis focused on fine-tuning his plan.

**Ireland**

Corporal Bough was flying over Ireland. It had taken him two hours before he had finally gotten above ground, and was now excited and nervous. This was his first big mission. He had been above ground a few times before, and was surprised to see how much it had changed, since the last time he had been here fifty years ago. He headed in the direction he thought was Dublin and Fowl Manor. It was only a minute later when he heard Root's voice come from his helmet.

"Bough! Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh, to Fowl Manor sir."

"Fowl Manor is the other way, Corporal."

The Corporal's face turned a deep red and he turned around to fly in the opposite direction. He could hear Foaly laughing through the speaker, Root chuckling, and heard someone else groan. He picked up the speed to make up for lost time and soon saw Fowl Manor looming in the distance. An involuntary shiver ran along his spine at the sight of it. He had never actually seen Artemis Fowl, but everyone knew of him. Even though the Mud Boy had helped them with the goblin uprising, that still didn't mean he was trustworthy. He was still considered an active threat to the People, although not as great. Foaly's voice cut through the speaker.

"Okay, you're going to want to stay away from the manor but not to far away. Find a tree or something where you can hide to watch. You're shield is useless here."

"What do you mean useless?"

"Fowl and his pet gorilla constructed lenses from a LEP helmet so they can see through fairy shields." The Corporal gulped and quickly picked a tree that gave him a good view of the manor. It was now evening and it looked as though there weren't any lights coming from inside the manor. Only the security lights surrounding it. Bough did a quick thermal scan and found the manor to be empty with an exception of a few insects.

"Nobody's home." He said into his mike. The commander's voice cracked through the speaker in reply.

"Affirmative. Keep hidden and alert."

"Yes sir." The Corporal unshielded, making sure he was still completely hidden by the branches and leaves. He unshielded because it used up magic and because he was vibrating at such a large frequency, it was rustling some of the leaves and might draw attention. It was sometime after midnight when he finally spotted a black car pulling up to the front gate. He quickly informed Foaly and the Commander and then shielded again, just in case.

**Fowl Manor**

Artemis and Mulch sat in the back of the car while Butler drove. Mulch was holding onto the large duffel bag containing the item they had stolen. The Museum of World History had proven to be a cinch. Artemis yearned to find a place that would actually prove a challenge for them. Between Mulch's skill and Artemis' brains and new inventions, they were done quicker than expected.

As they drove towards the Manor, Artemis turned his attention to outside the car. It was dark but the many security lights illuminated the grounds. A tree they were driving by caught Artemis' interest. He smirked slightly.

"Butler, pull around back. We seem to have an intruder in the grounds and I think Mulch should remain hidden." Butler just nodded, not bothering to ask questions. Mulch, however, looked at him curiously.

"LEP?"

Artemis nodded slightly. "I presume so," was all he said. Mulch had learned that Artemis always told them anything they needed to know when he thought the time was right. And if Artemis Fowl thought the time was right, well then, it usually was.

Butler parked the car in the back of the Manor by the kitchen, where all delivery trucks came. Butler got out first and did his usual check of the area before opening the kitchen door and then ushered Artemis and Mulch inside the Manor. Once inside, Butler went straight to the monitors. Artemis followed him and showed him where he knew the fairy was. Because the fairy was invisible, Butler had to freeze the camera and then he zoomed into the tree. Sure enough, there was a single fairy, dressed in the LEPrecon jump suit, standing on a branch. Butler grinned. They had him. He unfroze the camera, waited a few seconds, and then froze it again. The fairy was gone.

"He's more than likely checking around the manor." Butler said and Artemis nodded.

"Yes, why don't you escort our fairy friend in here?" Butler got up and left the room. Artemis sat down in a chair and watched the monitors. This was turning out to be quite a night.

Bough watched the car disappear behind the Manor and waited a few minutes before leaving the tree. He cautiously flew around back and spotted the parked car. No one there.

He landed onto the ground and turned off his wings, making sure to stay invisible. He walked over to a window, hoping to get a glimpse of anything that may prove useful. He was able to see a single short figure rustling through the refrigerator but Bough couldn't see who it was.

He was to preoccupied with watching the window that he didn't hear or see somebody come up behind him. It wasn't until Butler cleared his throat that the Corporal turned around. He didn't even have a chance to utter, D'Arvit before a massive hand came down on his head, knocking him out.

**Operations Booth**

Holly had just been about to leave Ops when Bough announced a car was pulling up. Holly quickly sat back down to watch the screen projecting the live video feed from the Corporal's helmet. Foaly sat at his computers while Root stood next to the mike to talk to Bough. Holly sighed impatiently. She was a field agent. She shouldn't be sitting in here all night. She should be up at Fowl Manor right now, trying to discover what was happening to all the missing fairies.

They watched as the Corporal went around the Manor, and as he stood at the window, Holly groaned. He was leaving himself vulnerable to attack. Somebody could easily sneak up on him and he wouldn't have even known until it was to late. Root realized what Holly had and was just about to shout into the mike when they heard someone clear their throat. They watched as Bough turned around and was immediately knocked out.

"D'Arvit!" Root swore. His face was now extremely red and Holly feared he was about to explode.

"Corporal Bough is out but we should still have sound and video." Foaly informed them while typing furiously on his keyboard. Root took a few deep breaths before turning to Holly.

"Alright Captain, here's your chance. You don't have time to get a team together but I think you'll be fine. I'll have Kelp and his boys at the chutes just in case."

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Holly got up and was about to leave when Root added, "Be careful Holly. We don't know what Fowl's like anymore."

Holly nodded. "I will." She grabbed her helmet and a pair of wings and then disappeared out the door. Root shook his head and sat down.

"Don't worry Julius. She can look after herself." said Foaly.

Root decided to ignore the 'Julius' part this once, as he was to weary to argue. "I know she can. She's one of my best officers. But what _does _worry me is the trouble her and Fowl will either cause or get into."

Foaly chuckled. "More than likely it'll be both," and went back to his computers.

**Fowl Manor**

Bough opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. He had a terrible headache and wherever he was at really bright, or that could have just been because of the headache. He tried opening his eyes again and had to blink a few times to focus his eyes. He was in some sort of study. There were numerous computers set up all around the room. The lights were also on, causing Bough to wince when he looked up. He didn't like light. The few times he had been aboveground had been at night. He quickly checked the window and saw it was still dark out. Good, he couldn't have been out to long then.

He then realized that his helmet wasn't on and he didn't have his wings, Neutrino, or his buzz baton. The last thing he noticed was a pale Mud Boy sitting behind a desk and Mud Man the size of a mountain blocking the door. The giant must be Butler, the Mud Man who defeated a whole Retrieval squad and the only person to take on a Troll and win. The Mud Boy must be Artemis Fowl, although he could hardly be called a mud boy anymore. Artemis sat there, with his cool composure and the Corporal couldn't help but think that the Mud Boy scared him just as much as his bodyguard.

Trying to speak with more courage than he felt, he said "Where are my things?"

"Your helmet, wings, and weapons? They'll be returned to you shortly, you have my word." Artemis said calmly. Bough doubted it, but he didn't say anything out loud. He could trust the boy and his bodyguard about as far as he could throw them. Before he could ask any questions, Fowl spoke again. "Now, to save us some time, let's get straight to the point. Why were you trespassing?" Artemis already knew the answer but wasn't quite ready to show that. Better to let the LEP think they have the upper hand. The Corporal stayed silent, just glaring defiantly at Artemis. Artemis sighed. This officer was obviously a rookie. "It's quite pointless to remain silent. The faster we get this over with the faster you can leave." Bough still didn't say anything. Finally he looked at Artemis curiously.

"How did you know I was here? You're not supposed to know about the People anymore either."

"Technically I asked you a question first, meaning you should answer first." Artemis sighed. "Very well, even though it is against my nature to be treated in such a way, I shall only say that I noticed movement in the tree and I was expecting someone from the LEP."

Bough's attention perked. If Fowl was expecting someone, that meant that more than likely he had the missing fairies. Otherwise how else would he have known about the People again or why he was sent?

"Now, Mister Bough, or Corporal Bough if you prefer, let's get back to the matter at hand. You were caught trespassing-"

"How did you know my name?"

Artemis glared at the Corporal, but his poised mask quickly returned. "You are trying my patience you know."

"Awe, is Master Fowl getting frustrated? We can't have that now can we?" A sarcastic voice came from the window and they all turned towards it. Bough looked over in surprise but Artemis merely smirked.

"If it isn't Captain Short. So lovely of you to join us. Please, come in. Your previous invitation still stands, but just in case, you are allowed to enter." Artemis gestured to a chair. "Please, sit."

"I'm fine right here, thank you." She still stood, leaning against the wall on the windowsill.

Artemis shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now may I inquire as to the occasion in which I find you two here?"

Holly snorted. "As if you didn't know."

"Being blamed for something else now am I? I must say that I'm beginning to feel insulted. Very well, what must I do to prove to you that I don't have those fairies?"

"If you didn't do it, than how do you know about the fairies?" Holly raised an eyebrow.

"I have my sources. I am not without contacts you know." Artemis replied calmly.

"Then let me search the manor. If I don't find any signs of the missing fairies then you _may_ be innocent. But I doubt I won't find anything."

Artemis thought for a moment. He had nothing to hide except for Mulch, who was wondering around the Manor somewhere. He'd rather not let the LEP know that he was there or what they had been up to. Unfortunately, Artemis wouldn't have to worry about that, because Mulch chose that moment to burst into the room.

"Hey Arty guess what? I just got some great offers on that piece we got tonight. Apparently they are willing to give us...Oh. This was probably a bad time." Mulch froze when he saw Holly in the window and Bough sitting in the chair silently. Artemis glared at Mulch.

"Yes, this would be a bad time." Artemis said dryly, trying to regain his calm composure.

"Diggums! What are you doing here?" Holly hissed. She turned to Artemis again. "What are you two up to?"

"I find that none of your business Captain."

Holly growled. "Fowl..." She took a couple of deep breaths and counted to ten to calm herself. "Okay Fowl, you better explain quickly, because I'm very tempted to shoot you right now and drag Diggums back underground with me. Now do you have those fairies or not?"

"No, I do not. You are free to search the Manor for any signs of them if you want. The only thing that had been holding me back before was Mulch and it seems pointless now." He glanced over at Mulch and Mulch smiled innocently. Holly thought a moment.

"Fine. Corporal, I want you to remain here and keep an eye on these two." She said to Bough. Bough nodded.

"Yes Captain, but they took my weapons."

Holly looked over to Artemis, who looked calmly back. "I can assure you that you won't be needing them. But I will return them to you on good faith. Butler." Butler went over to a safe near the door and opened it up. He handed all of the Corporal's things back to him.

Then Holly disappeared to do her search of the manor. It was quite pointless because she had already done a thermal scan and had determined there had only been four beings in the Manor. Of course at the time she hadn't known who the fourth one was, but now she realized it was Mulch. As she quickly did her search of the Manor, she wondered what Fowl and Diggums were up to. It was clear that there were no fairies here, but that didn't mean that they weren't being held elsewhere. Mulch didn't strike her as the type to become involved in kidnappings, even though he was a criminal. For some reason she hoped it wasn't Artemis, and part of her actually believed it wasn't. She returned to the study and found everyone still there. Butler had moved over next to Artemis and Mulch was sitting in a chair by the desk. Bough was watching them all. Artemis watched her enter.

"Well?"

"You're not off the hook yet. You could still be hiding them elsewhere." Holly pointed out. Artemis nodded.

"It's possible. What else must I do to prove to you that I'm innocent? I have some affairs that I need to attend to once you and your Corporal are gone."

Holly was silent, thinking. Bough finally spoke up.

"Captain? Why don't you _mesmerize_ him?"

Artemis frowned. This was beginning to become a nuisance.

"Now really, I must protest."

"I thought you didn't have anything to hide?" Holly challenged, smiling slightly.

Artemis glared at her again. "I don't. But I must say that I don't trust you."

Holly laughed. "Likewise." Artemis' expression softened just a little bit as he thought.

"Alright, as long as you don't mind wipe me while I'm out." He turned to Butler. "Butler, I suggest you put your sunglasses on and if she tries anything funny, you know what to do." Butler nodded and smiled slightly at Holly. Holly watched with an amused expression but nodded that she wouldn't mind wipe him.

She spoke into her mike. "Foaly, you might want to record all this."

"Already am Holly." Came the reply. Holly nodded and walked over to Artemis. She removed her helmet and positioned it on the desk so it was still facing Artemis. She then started to massage the tips of her ears to get the circulation going. When she spoke again, her voice was layered with the _mesmer_. Artemis' eyes drooped a little and his forehead was erased of all creases from thinking.

"Okay Artemis. Do you have anything to do with our missing LEP officers and the missing civilians?"

Artemis shook his head. "No."

"Then how did you know about it?"

"Mulch told me. He has contacts everywhere." Mulch had started to sweat a little, fearing that Artemis was about to tell Holly that he had a contact in the LEP. Luckily though, Artemis didn't mention it and Holly didn't pursue that particular matter.

"How did you get your memories back?"

"Mulch."

Holly thought a moment before asking one last question.

"Artemis? Are you still a threat to the People?"

Artemis smiled slightly, "No. The People don't have to worry about me anymore."

Holly nodded. Root's voice crackled over the speaker in her helmet, from the desk.

"Mud Boy's innocent then. I suggest you mind wipe him and bring the convict back with you."

Butler tensed and Mulch sat up, ready to make a run for it. Holly turned to the helmet. "Sir? I promised Artemis that we wouldn't wipe him. If he's innocent, we should just leave. As for Mulch, as far as we know, he hasn't done anything." She could just imagine Root fuming over this. She heard a muffled conversation coming from the speaker and she knew that Root and Foaly were talking. She couldn't make out everything that was being said, only bits and pieces of it, such as: "Foaly..." in a warning tone and then "...helped last time..." but that was all she could make out. Eventually the conversation ceased and Root's defeated voice spoke again.

"Alright, wake the Mud Boy up." Holly grinned slightly and did as she was told. Artemis sat up, confused for a second before getting his bearings. "Alright Fowl. Here's your chance to prove that you are no longer a threat to us." Root started.

"You want my help?" Artemis asked, trying not to sound to arrogant. He could just imagine Root's complexion over having to say all this and Artemis forced himself not to grin. Instead, he kept his calm composure. Root muttered something inaudible and Foaly spoke up this time.

"That was a yes."

"Foaly?" Artemis inquired.

"Hey Mud Boy. Glad to see you back." Artemis couldn't tell if it was sarcastic but then he heard the Commander shout 'Foaly!' and then Foaly reply 'What? I was just being polite.' Artemis waited patiently for them to stop their bickering. He glanced at Holly with an amused expression. She grinned back and mouthed 'They are like this _all_ the time.' Finally, Root's voice came through the speaker.

"So?" Artemis knew he was asking whither or not he would help. He was silent while thinking. If he helped the People, it would show that he was going soft. But on the other hand, he couldn't leave the People to face what ever it was that was after them this time. Even if they all wouldn't admit it, they needed his help. Artemis almost scowled. He _was _going soft. But was that such a bad thing? Everyone was watching him, waiting for an answer. Mulch had relaxed a little, and was sitting there watching him, wondering if Artemis' previous comment on "leave the People's affairs to the People" still stood. Butler was also watching him and Artemis knew that he thought that they should help. After all, Artemis did have his family and his new attitude thanks to the People. Holly's face was impassive, not revealing anything and Bough's face was curious. Artemis sighed, defeated.

"I will. But on two conditions."

Holly glared at him. "I should have known. Artemis Fowl does nothing for nothing." She said, disgusted. Artemis ignored her, and faced the helmet. Root's weary voice spoke through.

"What do you want this time Fowl?"

"Merely that Mulch is left alone. He has been cleared of all charges if I am told correctly and he hasn't done anything illegal to the People."

Steam seemed to be rising out of the helmet. Mulch grinned and was just about to pass a comment to Root but Artemis sent him a glance to quiet him. After what seemed like minutes, Root said, "What else Fowl?"

"Only that I am able to keep my memories." More steam.

"Fowl, basically you're asking me to let you two continue with whatever schemes you've been pulling and not let me do anything about it. Diggums is a convict and he was warned that if he started pulling anything than I would have him right back into his cell."

"Those are my conditions. Accept them or don't, but you need me and I won't help unless those conditions are filled."

"That's blackmail."

Artemis shrugged. "Call it whatever you like, but I consider it peaceful negotiations."

Root started mumbling again. 'Peaceful negotiations my...' Luckily Mulch chose that moment to interrupt.

"Come on Julius. You know you need us. If it weren't for me and Artemis and Butler here, how would you have defeated that pixie Koboi?"

"Convict, you forget that Holly, Foaly and I were apart of that too." Root growled but he already knew it was a lost cause.

"Yeah, but without us, you three wouldn't have been able to get into Koboi labs."

"We could do this without you!" Root's tried to sound as if he was merely stating a fact, but Artemis could detect a hint of uncertainty.

"Alright. Go ahead." Mulch said calmly, but grinning.

"Fine." Root grunted. Artemis and Holly had had enough of the bickering as it was getting them nowhere. They were just about to say something when Mulch spoke again. He was obviously enjoying this very much and was overly confident in himself.

"How about this? Let's make a bet or a deal. Whoever discovers who's behind this and is able to defeat them first, wins. We split up into two teams. Artemis, Butler, and I. You, Holly, and Foaly and whoever else you may need."

"Mulch..." Artemis warned.

Root chuckled. "You're kidding right? I have a genius and all of the LEP force on my side and you have just two Mud Men. This should be a cinch."

"Julius, you're forgetting that Arty is a genius."

"What do you think Foaly is?"

"Artemis has outsmarted all of you, including donkey boy, numerous times now. Butler has also taken on a troll, and defeated a whole Retrieval team. I think he's worth more than fifty of your officers."

Butler, who had remained silent throughout this whole meeting, now pulled Artemis to the side.

"Artemis, I don't like where this is going. You know as well as I do that the only reason we were able to defeat Koboi and Cudgeon because it was all of us working as a team. If we split up, it could be just what whoever it is behind this is waiting for."

"I know old friend. I have no intentions of partaking in this ridiculous contest, but the Commander and Mulch seem to be nonstop. I'm afraid we'll have no choice if they gain support from Holly and Foaly. We need to help them however that may be."

"Don't worry. I think this whole thing is pointless too." Holly had snuck up next to them while Root and Mulch were still going at it. "But the problem is that Foaly never turns down a good challenge and Root has the power to order me around." She pointed out. Artemis and Butler nodded. They turned back to the conversation.

"So is it a deal?" Mulch asked.

"Yes. We win, you get arrested and Fowl is mind wiped. You win and you're free to go from now on." Root agreed smugly, apparently thinking that he was going to win.

"Now really!" Artemis protested. "Don't we get a say in this?"

"No." Root stated. Artemis glowered. "You agreed to help the People. Competing with us will, in a way, be helping us."

"We already came to an agreement and I see no reason to jeopardize my memories of the People because of some absurd competition between you and Mulch."

"What's the matter Fowl? Afraid you're going to loose?"

"No, that's not the case at all. I have full confidence that I could defeat you and on any other day I would love a good competition. But that's not the point of the matter. I think we would be more successful working together and not competing."

"With all do respect Commander, he's right. We _should _all be working together, not competing. That could prove to be a costly mistake. It'll seem like we are taking this whole matter lightly when we have fairies missing, possibly dead." Holly said.

"I know the situation Captain! But I want to prove to Diggums that he's not as important as he seems to think he is."

"Okay but as much as I don't like to admit it either, we do need Fowl."

Root was about to protest when Artemis spoke up again.

"Commander Root, you don't have any clue as to who is behind this. If you did, you would never have sent someone here in the first place. Foaly obviously hasn't found anyone either. As much as you may not like it or not want to admit it, you won't get anywhere without my help, or Butler's or Mulch's for that matter. I refuse to participate in this _challenge_."

"I'm with him on this one Commander." Holly stated firmly.

"Short, I could have your badge for disobeying a direct order!" Root threatened, but even to himself it sounded like an empty threat. He had no grounds on which to prove that matter. Refusing to make deals with convicts didn't exactly qualify as a reason to fire someone. Everyone in the room and in Ops knew it.

Corporal Bough had been watching the whole thing rather amusedly. He had never seen anyone oppose the Commander before, and here were two Mud Men, a convict, and a LEP captain, all arguing with him! Bough had to admit that Fowl didn't seem to be so evil. His appearance and his looks were enough to send chills down anyone's back, but he wasn't acting like a cruel evil genius at the moment. Bough was utterly confused by now.

"Fine. I can see when I'm defeated. Especially when _Short _and _Fowl _actually agree on something." Root sighed. "Captain, you and Corporal Bough are to bring Fowl, Butler, and Diggums down here tomorrow."

"Tomorrow sir?" Holly asked.

"Yes, tomorrow. The next shuttle isn't until tomorrow afternoon and we need time to clear out that area. I don't want everyone knowing that we brought two mud men down again. I think it would be wise to keep this just between us. So you two are going to have to stay there until then. That okay with you Fowl?"

Artemis nodded. "Certainly."

"Alright then. I'm going to get some sleep while I can." Root cut the connection, leaving the two LEP officers, Mulch, Butler and Artemis sitting there.

"Well, Butler, why don't you have two more rooms prepared for our guests then." Artemis then turned to Holly and Bough as Butler left the room. "Can I interest you in anything to eat?" Holly shook her head no but Bough nodded yes.

Mulch on the other hand, said, "I'll take you up on that offer too."

Artemis turned and glared at him. "Mulch, if you are already hungry again, you can fix yourself something. And show Corporal Bough where the kitchen is and get something for him as well." He said coldly.

Mulch went away pouting, muttering, "Just trying to have a bit of fun." Holly smirked as she watched them go. She turned back around to find Artemis shaking his head as he sat down again in his chair. Regaining his calm composure, in which it had disappeared in the last hour, he turned to Holly.

"Well Captain, we haven't had time to properly greet each other. How have you been the past five years?" Artemis' attempt at a decent conversation failed as they both knew that it wasn't Artemis. Holly started laughing.

"It's okay Artemis. The polite host doesn't suit you."

"Now honestly. I think I've been every inch the gracious host this evening. I'm letting you and your Corporal stay here tonight as guests."

Holly put on a fake look of surprise. "Can it be that the criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has changed?"

"Yes, well, it's a recent development. Very recent, I'd say in the last three months."

"I take it you haven't changed so much as to have gone straight?"

"No." Artemis admitted. "Not quite."

"So what _were _you and Mulch up to tonight?" Holly then added, "Don't worry. I won't tell anybody. What you two do to humans doesn't concern the People."

Artemis considered it and finally shrugged. "We broke into the Museum of World History and stole a very expensive and important artifact. We planned on selling it and when Mulch burst in here earlier, my guess is he was offered quite a bit."

"I'm not even going to ask what the artifact was. But I thought you said you were going straight after the Spiro incident?" Holly raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I did say that, but shortly after, I was mind wiped. So I couldn't remember ever making that promise." Artemis managed to sounded accusing, hurt, and as if it should have been obvious, all at the same time. Holly looked away, feeling guilty. "After I was mind wiped, I _did_ return to being that monster, although not quite as bad. But I had no qualms with bankrupting other people or stealing. I did all this behind my parent's back because they were determined that we all go straight." Holly was surprised to hear regret in his voice and that only made her feel even more guilty. She listened as he continued. "After Mulch returned my memories to me, I wasn't quite as bad anymore, but I also saw no reason to quit stealing. So we formed an alliance."

Holly nodded. "Foaly suspected as much. He pointed out what an unstoppable team you two would make and how well you got along. I take it, it was you that cleared Mulch?"

Artemis tried his best to look innocent but failed. He finally just grinned. "But I'm not admitting anything Captain, so I'm afraid that you can't get me in trouble."

Just then Butler came back in and announced that Holly's and Bough's rooms were ready. Artemis thanked him and Holly followed the manservant out of the study. As they reached the staircase, Mulch and Bough came out of the kitchen and followed them upstairs. Mulch disappeared into his room as Holly and Bough were showed into their own rooms.

As Holly shut her door, her mind went over everything that had just happened. When she had first arrived at the Manor and landed in the window, she had been surprised at how much Artemis had changed physically. He had grown up quite a bit and was no longer just a pale Mud Boy. Granted he was still pale and didn't seem to have any muscles at all on his body, he was now almost able to be considered a Mud Man. Holly was instantly ashamed and appalled that she found him sort of attractive now. Not only had he changed physically, but after talking to him, she had seen that he had changed in other ways as well. He definitely wasn't that cold monster that had originally kidnapped her. He seemed to be experiencing more emotions. When he had told her that he had reverted back to being a monster, she had felt guilty, even though it hadn't been her decision to wipe him, she still felt some of the blame. Suppose Mulch hadn't returned his memories to him? What would he be like now? Holly shuddered at that thought. He had been bad enough as a evil Mud Boy, but now that he was older, he had a lot more power. But she had seen the change mostly when she had been talking to him alone and when he had refused to take part in that competition. The old Artemis would have in a heartbeat, she knew that for sure. But he actually seemed to care more about helping the People more than proving he was more capable than Root and Foaly. Holly had no doubt that if they had been forced to do that silly competition, Artemis, Butler and Mulch would have won it. Even if Root, Holly and Foaly had the help of the whole LEP force on their side. They would simply be no match for the boy genius, his mountain body guard, and Mulch Diggums. Another thing that had surprised Holly had been when Artemis had only asked that he keep his memories and Mulch went free. She had been expecting him to demand gold or something of that such.

Holly sat down on the huge bed after taking off her helmet and wings. She had to admit to herself that she had kind of missed the Mud Boy. With him around, things were never boring. Holly forced herself to think that was the only reason that she missed him. Sighing at the headache coming on, she laid back onto the bed and closed her eyes.


	4. Talk and Breakfast

**Thank you to those of you that have reviewed. It means a lot, and please keep it up. I know these chapters are pretty long, so I apologize to anyone who doesn't like them that long. It's just harder to divide them up even more than they already are. So anyway, here it is.**

**Thanks to: me, obviously; refloc; misticjadewolf; cybergurl; and cloudlessnight for your reviews.**

**Chapter Four: Talk and Breakfast**

**Fowl Manor**

Artemis woke up at six, like every other day. No matter how late he would stay up at night, he could never sleep past six o'clock. After he had showered and dressed, he made his way downstairs to the dinning hall. He was immensely surprised to find Holly already there. The Captain had always struck him as the type to have an untidy house and sleep in late. But there she was, wide awake, eating eggs and toast.

"Good morning Captain. Sleep well?"

Holly looked up surprised, having not heard him come in. "Actually yes, I did. But it was a little weird being in such a big bed. What are you doing up already?"

"This is what time I get up every morning."

Holly raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I always pictured you sleeping in like other spoiled rich kids."

Artemis chuckled as he sat down. "Hardly. I see it as a waste of time to sleep half the day when there are plenty of other things to be doing with my time."

"Like robbing banks and bankrupting other companies so they can sleep out on the streets?" She said accusingly.

Artemis frowned. "Now wait a minute. I haven't bankrupted a company in a few years and it was never _that _bad."

Holly snorted. "Sure, and I'm supposed to believe you? You've tricked the People many times now."

"I believe the correct term is _outsmarted_ the People." Artemis smiled smugly. Holly was just about to retort when a different, sleepy voice spoke first.

"Isn't it a bit early for you two to be going at it already?" Mulch walked in and yawned before sitting down. Holly looked at him in surprise now.

"You get up this early too?"

"No, not normally. I usually sleep for a few more hours."

"So why are you up so early today?"

"Butler put that Bough guy right next door to my room and he snores like crazy. I'm surprised he doesn't wake himself up. Kept me up all night." Mulch complained in a whiny voice. Holly giggled.

"Awe, poor Mulch. Does the convict need his beauty sleep?"

Mulch grunted. "What are you doing up? I know Arty gets up this early all the time, but I didn't think you did."

"I had the same impression. I figured you to be one of those people who sleep in late and are really messy." Artemis said.

Holly grinned. "Well, you're half right. You can't even see my floor. But I've never been one to sleep all that late. With my job, I have to be up as soon as the moon rises." Fairies could almost be considered nocturnal. They preferred to work at night because the sun drained their magic. Of course they could work during the daytime as well, they just preferred night time. Then she thought of something. "What do you mean you thought I'm a messy person? Do I look untidy or something?" She narrowed her eyes at him and Artemis jumped to rectify.

"No, no I didn't mean it like that. I mean, uh, you're not untidy, you're fine just like that." Artemis blushed slightly and quickly tried to fix the situation, which he was only making worse. Very embarrassing for someone of his repute. "I just thought that because of your attitude. Err... how about breakfast? Mulch, can I make you anything?" Artemis wished to leave the room right away. Mulch nodded, smirking.

Holly smirked too. "You do realize that Err is not a word, right?"

Artemis was trying to regain his composure, so he simply ignored her comment. "Hol-Captain, can I get you something else to eat, or maybe a drink? We have excellent orange juice."

"You can cook now? I thought Butler or Juliet did that for you." Holly asked.

"I had Juliet show me a few things about a year ago. That way Butler can sleep in a bit later and not have to wake up just to serve me breakfast. Occasionally Butler will get up early anyway or I'll come down late. But when Juliet is here, she still cooks for us."

Shock was evident on Holly's face. Artemis must really have changed, she thought. He was a bit more compassionate now. He still held onto his icy composure, but just in the last few hours since she had arrived, she had already seen passed it a few times (like when he blushed just now, Holly thought, hiding a smile with her hand). Something he had never allowed to happen before (letting his icy composure drop at anytime or letting anyone see past it).

"I think I'll pass on the food, but I do want to see you cook. I won't believe it until I see it." Holly got up and Artemis shrugged. She followed him into the kitchen and hopped up onto a stool to watch. She watched as he pulled out a couple of pans and placed them on the stove. He then pulled out some eggs and placed them on the counter.

"What are you going to make in that other pan?" Holly asked as she watched Artemis walk over to the giant freezer.

"Hash browns." He said as he started rummaging through all the frozen foods. Holly raised an eyebrow in surprise again. This Mud Boy was full of surprises.

"You can make hash browns? Wouldn't you ruin your nails by peeling the potatoes?" She asked sarcastically. Artemis grinned as he finally found what he was looking for. He held up a bag of frozen hash browns and Holly laughed.

"I had Juliet stock up on simpler foods that I can either microwave or throw on the stove, for whenever I have to cook. Normally we only eat fresh food here, but I'm not exactly a professional chef." He went back over to the stove to start cooking. "Oh!" He turned back around and walked over to one of the many cupboards in the large kitchen. He went through it and after a minute pulled out an apron. Holly started laughing again after he put it on. He smiled. "What do you think?" It was just a plain white apron, but it looked utterly ridiculous on him. Holly had never before imagined him cooking and now here he was wearing an apron!

"Can't have you getting anything on your expensive suit now can we?" She said, starting to wipe the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.

"No we can't. This suit is Armani and cost me quite a lot." Artemis said seriously, but his eyes were still shining with amusement.

Holly laughed some more. "I will never understand why you would spend that much on a suit."

"Appearances can be everything in some situations you know. If you dress important enough, others will know that you are powerful and not underestimate you."

"But in some cases isn't it a good thing if they underestimate you?" Holly pointed out.

"True. That was one thing about being a boy genius. Nobody would ever expect a young pale boy to be anything other than innocent. But now that I'm no longer a child, I need to give the impression that I have power, which I do, so that they will know not to mess with me."

"Yeah, well you made us think twice about underestimating a kid. After that whole thing with you kidnapping me, more than a few officers would grip their guns whenever they saw a Mud Boy." Holly grinned and looked at the apron again. "To bad my helmet is upstairs, I would have Foaly take a picture of you. Do you think you could keep that on long enough for me to run and get it...?"

"Don't even think about it. You're staying right here now." Artemis said, watching her. She grinned and held up her hands.

"I won't go anywhere."

He turned back to the stove to begin cooking. Holly watched him for a minute before deciding to start another conversation. "So how's Juliet doing? Is she still into wrestling?" Artemis shook his head.

"Thankfully, no. She still occasionally watches it I think, but she outgrew wanting to be a wrestler."

Holly nodded. "Did she get her memories back as well?"

"Of course. She got back from out of town one day and Mulch hadn't left yet. As soon as she saw him, her memories returned."

"What do your parents think of Mulch? If he's staying here, won't they be a bit suspicious on whither or not you're going straight?"

"Yes, they would be suspicious. That's why he goes and stays elsewhere whenever they're home. Mother and Father are usually gone for weeks at a time, visiting various friends around the world. Juliet accompanies them most of the time, to guard Mother. Lately, I've been hearing them discuss purchasing a vacation home in France. So they'll be staying there for a lot of the year. There, the eggs are done." He said as he pulled the pan off of the stove. He dumped its contents onto a large plate and went back to the hash browns.

"You know, those eggs don't look half bad." Holly admitted. Artemis grinned again.

"Why don't you try some? You can let me know how good a chef I am." He said, adding a bit of smugness into his voice.

Holly smirked. "Okay, but I'm sure they won't be that good." She took a fork and took a small bite. An involuntary 'Mmm' escaped her and Artemis chuckled. Holly took another bite and muttered, "Don't get to smug Artemis. They're not that good."

"That explains why you're still eating them?" He smirked as he turned around. She frowned and put the fork down. She looked up and found him watching her. Their eyes met and Holly was surprised at how blue his still were. She felt as though she could get lost in those eyes. They stayed like that until finally Artemis looked away. He cleared his throat and went back to the stove. Holly blushed, feeling slightly unnerved.

There were a few minutes of silence after that, while Artemis finished the hash browns. He poured them into a bowl and took out another fork. He took a bite and smiled.

"I think I outdid myself on these. Would you care to test them? See if they are any better than my 'okay' eggs?"

Holly shrugged and took her fork and scooped up some of the golden brown potatoes. Artemis watched as she took a bite.

"Well?"

"Okay Fowl, I'll admit that you're a pretty good cook."

"Thank you." He smirked and after taking off his apron, he picked up the plate and bowl with the food in them, and headed back out to the dinning hall. Holly followed with a couple plates. Bough had joined Mulch and they were both sitting down waiting for the food.

When Mulch saw them he said, "Took you long enough. Are you sure all you were doing was cooking?"

Holly glared at him and put her hand on her buzz baton. "Don't tempt me Diggums."

Mulch chuckled, but still kept an eye on her just in case. He knew as well as she did that she would use it on him in a heartbeat. Even though Holly had already eaten earlier, she ate again with the others. As much as she hated to admit it, Artemis was a better cook than she was, which in a way was kind of pathetic. Okay, really pathetic. So Holly had no intention on telling anyone else that. There wasn't much talk while they ate that time.

When everyone was done, Holly said that she would take all the dishes to the kitchen. Unfortunately, there were too many now, so Artemis helped her carry them out there. Holly walked over to the sink but stopped when she realized that she wasn't tall enough to reach the faucet. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she just placed the dishes in the sink for someone else to do, as her wings were upstairs with her helmet. Artemis though, saw the problem immediately and would not let it go without a comment.

"Don't worry Captain. I'll take care of them." He snickered as Holly glared daggers at him.

"I can't help it if you Mud People are so big." She muttered as she stood back to let Artemis near the sink.

Artemis smirked. "Yes, now you know why the male fairies are probably a bit jealous of us." He winked.

Holly flushed and growled, "Dirty, foul, little Mud Boy." But a small grin escaped onto her face and Artemis laughed.

It was amazing how much he had laughed and smiled lately. He didn't think he had ever smiled that much in his life as he had in the last seven hours. He barely showed any emotion at all. And yet ever since his memories had been returned, he had been experiencing various emotions and he found it a bit overwhelming. He rinsed the dishes and left them in the sink.

"What's the matter? How come you're leaving them there?" Holly asked.

"Truthfully...I don't know how to use the dishwasher. I always leave that for Butler or Juliet." He said, a bit embarrassed. How was it that Artemis could make grown powerful people nervous? And yet he became self-conscious or intimidated because of a single elf and her opinion! There were only a few people in the world who were not intimidated by Artemis and only those few ever dared to talk back to him or talk to him as an equal. Those people were Artemis Fowl Sr., Angeline Fowl, Butler and Juliet. Now it seemed Holly needed to be added to that list. She never became in the least bit intimidated by him and was constantly arguing with him and making fun of him. And for some unknown reason, he tolerated it! Even enjoyed it!

"You're telling me that a criminal genius such as yourself, can find a way to escape the time-stop and construct a C Cube with an eternity code on it, but you can't work a _dishwasher_?" Holly crossed her arms and waited for a reply.

"I'm positive that if I tried, I could have it figured out in seconds." He snapped. "Besides, a genius, such as myself, a criminal one or not, does not belong in a kitchen, let alone doing dishes."

"I see. But you'll cook?"

Artemis frowned. "I learned to cook only to be courteous to my good friend, who does not need to be going all over the Manor, just to serve me. The least I can do for him, after he's saved my life numerous times, is make my own breakfast."

Holly's expression softened. After a moment, she said, "Come here." Artemis narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Why?"

Holly sighed. "Because I'm going to show you how to clean the dishes."

Artemis reluctantly walked over to where she stood. Holly then proceeded to instruct him on how to load the dishes, how much soap to use and how to start it. When the dishwasher was running, they stepped back and Holly turned to him.

"There, now if you are ever stuck in a normal person's house and Butler is nowhere around, you'll know how to wash your dishes." Holly smiled and Artemis chuckled.

"So they have dishwashers underground as well? You seem to be an expert."

"Well, I was always stuck cleaning up after dinner at my house. But we haven't used one of these in over fifty years. We have a much easier, less manual way of washing dishes."

"Really? How?" Artemis asked, intrigued.

"Like I'm going to tell you. You know far too much about Fairy Technology as it is. I still can't believe that I'm going to be taking you to Haven."

"You don't have to worry about me. I've learned my lesson with selling fairy technology. I was just curious, that's all."

"Hmm." Was all Holly said. They walked back out to the dinning hall to find it empty.

"Well, I suppose I need to pack a few of my things so I'm prepared for this afternoon. If you'll excuse me Captain." Artemis turned and headed upstairs, leaving Holly wondering what she was going to do next.

Neither of them had noticed Butler who had been standing in the other entrance to the kitchen, watching the two of them amusedly. He had gotten there just after they had with the dishes, and had watched their whole conversation, including Holly teaching Artemis how to use the dishwasher. Butler knew that he should not have been spying on his young master and Artemis would have been furious had he found out. But Butler had never seen Artemis act so...normal before. He actually acted like any normal person when he was around Holly. He was still arrogant and sarcastic, but Butler who had been with Artemis ever since the genius' birth, could tell a huge difference.

Holly headed upstairs to the guest room where she had slept the previous night. As she was walking down the hall, she passed a door that was slightly open and voices came drifting out. Curious, she stopped to listen.

"You _are_ going soft Arty." Mulch's voice came out, both accusing and amused.

"Well, wouldn't you have done the same thing?" Artemis replied. "We can't leave them to sort it out on their own. They wouldn't be able to do it without us as you so gladly bragged about last night."

"They haven't done anything for us."

"Maybe not for you. Holly healed and saved both of my parents and saved Butler's life twice. If anything, I owe it to her to help the People."

"Hey, I think we should help them too, but for a larger price. We could have gotten gold."

"Okay, how about I go tell Root that he can arrest you if I get the gold instead." Artemis said sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Well you should be grateful that I thought about that, or else I'm sure that Corporal Bough or Holly would already have you in cuffs. We have plenty of gold for now. You just said that you were offered five million American dollars last night. That's another 2.5 million for each of us. I am now officially one of the five richest men in Europe."

"But every time I help Julius, I always end up on the run or in jail. He'll find a way to get me back in prison. Knowing him it'll be Howler's Peak." Mulch gulped.

"He won't break our deal. Besides, I'm sure something worthwhile may come from this."

Holly frowned. What did he mean by that? They started coming towards the door and Holly sprinted around the corner, not wanting them to know that she had been listening. She waited until she heard their receding footsteps down the staircase before she continued to her room. Once there, she sat on the bed and put her helmet on. Foaly's voice came through the speaker.

"Holly? Holly, you there? Captain?"

"What is it Foaly?"

"Holly, there you are. I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning. Everything all right?"

Holly hesitated a second. "As well as it could be, staying at Fowl's. I left my helmet in my room." She lied about the first part. She was actually having a pleasant time, but if she admitted that to the centaur, she would never hear the end of it. Luckily he couldn't see her.

"I feel bad for you. Is he still a monster? Didn't sound too much like one last night."

"He's not that bad I guess. I definitely noticed a difference in his attitude though."

"Yeah, me to. He actually turned down that challenge. But he's not the only one who sounded different." Foaly said.

"What do you mean?"

"You actually agreed with him and stood up to the commander, and admitted that you needed him." Holly could just imagine Foaly smirking.

"_We_ needed him Foaly. Not me. You know as well as I do that we wouldn't have the slightest clue as to what to do next if not for him."

Foaly sniffed. "Give me a few days and I'm sure I could figure out who's behind it."

"You've had a week to do it, and you still haven't gotten anywhere. Who knows what a few more days could bring? More fairies could be gone by then."

"Humph." Foaly was silent and then decided to get Holly back. "Well, you seemed a bit eager to stay there last night. You didn't protest or anything."

Holly turned red. "I had orders Foaly!"

"You were also ordered to compete against Fowl but you disobeyed them." Foaly pointed out and Holly fumed.

"That's because those were ridiculous orders. We shouldn't be taking this thing so lightly. We should be trying to solve it as quickly as possible."

"I think it would have been fun. Besides, isn't there some saying or something that if you split up, you cover more ground?"

"Yeah, but we weren't splitting up to cover more ground. We were going to split up just to see who's more capable or smarter."

"Hey, I agree with you. But who do you think would have won?"

Holly thought a minute. "It would be close. But truthfully, I think Fowl's team would have."

"Really? I don't think so." Foaly said confidently and a little stubbornly.

"Think about it Foaly. Artemis could figure out who is behind it and come up with a plan on how to stop them. Mulch could get them into anywhere and Butler could take down any foe."

"I'm a genius to you know, maybe a little unappreciated, but a genius nonetheless. And the LEP could take on any foe too."

"I don't think all of the officers would appreciate being used as pawn pieces in some chess game. Don't get me wrong, I would love to shove it into Fowl's face that we beat him or outsmarted him, but this is not the time."

"Hmm, well the reason I was trying to get a hold of you in the first place was that you need to have yourself and all the others at E1 at noon."

"Okay, we'll be there. Hey Foaly?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are they all staying? The commander said he didn't want everyone knowing they were there."

"I think he said that Fowl was going to be staying with you."

"WHAT!"

Foaly started laughing. "I'm just kidding Holly. I don't know, he didn't say."

Holly started growling. "Foaly, you just wait until I get down there..."

"Hey, you're staying at his house aren't you?"

"That's different. He lives in a mansion for Fronds sake. Unless we're actually looking for each other, there's a very slim chance we run into each other. My place consists of two bedrooms and a kitchen."

"So were you two looking for each other then?"

"What?"

"Well obviously you weren't in your room if you left your helmet there and didn't answer me. So that meant you were out of your room for at least two hours because that's how long I was trying to get a hold of you. What could you possibly be doing for so long in the morning?"

"Foaly..." Holly warned, her pointy ears were beginning to grow warm.

Foaly chuckled. "I'm just kidding Holly. But seriously, I won't tell anyone. Were you with him?"

Holly hesitated while she decided if she was going to tell him the truth or not. Finally she sighed. "I went down for breakfast and he came down right after I did. We talked for a bit, or argued I guess you could say, and then Mulch came down. Artemis went to go cook breakfast for the two of them and I went to watch-"

"Fowl can cook?"

Holly smiled. "Yeah, he had Juliet teach him a few things so that he could let Butler sleep in later in the mornings."

"Wow, maybe he really has changed. So was he any good?"

"Better than I expected. He made eggs and potatoes." Holly was not about to admit that she had really enjoyed the food. Just admitting that was too much, especially to Foaly. But she trusted him to not tell anyone. He was, after all, one of her best friends.

"And that took you two hours?"

"Well, I had to show him how to use the dishwasher." Holly muttered, afraid of what Foaly would say next. Fortunately, he was too shocked about something else.

"They still use those? Wow, Mud Men are starting to fall way behind us. We haven't used those in over fifty years."

"Yeah I know, but the one Fowl had was pretty advanced for a Mud Man."

"So you showed him how to use it huh?" Foaly's voice was smug and Holly groaned silently but he still heard it and chuckled. "Don't worry, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

Just then there was a knock at Holly's door and Artemis' voice came through.

"Holly? Are you in there?"

"Yeah, just a minute." She called. Foaly was just about to say something but she stopped him. "I got to go, I'll see you later."

"Alright, but don't forget to wrap the Mud Men in your camouflage foil before coming down here. Only the LEP are to know they are here. The commander already briefed them on it."

"Okay. Got to go." She cut the connection and went over to the door. Artemis stood there, waiting patiently.

"Talking to Foaly?" He asked as she took the helmet off.

She nodded. "He said that we have to be at Tara at noon to board the shuttle. He also said that you and Butler are to be wrapped in cam foil so nobody knows you're there. Only the LEP will know."

Artemis nodded too. "We should probably leave here in an hour or so then."

"Okay. Was that all you came here for?"

"Actually, no. I just wanted to inform you that I caught your Corporal Bough in my parent's room. He claims that he got lost and I just wanted to ask you if he is really that clueless or if he was actually sneaking around."

Holly groaned. "Actually he _is_ that clueless, but I'll still yell at him."

"I didn't notice anything missing, so I doubt he stole anything. But, may I ask, as to why _he _was sent here to spy on me? He seems to be an amateur and made quite a few mistakes before he was brought in here."

"The commander decided to send him. He didn't want to risk sending me just yet. As it was, he had a back up team waiting to come over if anything went wrong."

"Ah, because of our previous...history together." Artemis grinned. "He was afraid I would kidnap you again or something of the sort? Or was it the fact that he didn't want you to become one of those missing or presumed dead officers?"

"I think it was a mixture of both. But how did you know that last one? I only thought he didn't think me to be qualified but Foaly told me that he didn't want anything to happen to me. He said something about how I'm one of his favorite officers."

Artemis nodded. "Yes, I noticed that right away. I'm surprised you didn't."

Holly frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that he almost considers you a daughter. He has always been quite concerned about you and protective. He showed it more than a few times in the Arctic and when I first captured you. If I'm to believe right, if you were any other officer you would have been kicked off the force by now." Artemis raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed slightly embarrassed.

"He's stood up for me a couple times against the council. They think that I cause more trouble than solve it. Truthfully, the past couple years he's been sort of like a father to me, I mean, he has looked after me but I never really thought of that before now. So you're saying that's why he wouldn't send me?"

Artemis shrugged. "I'm sure you know him better than I do. I'm just merely stating my opinion. I think you're lucky to have him as a Commander though. I do admire his loyalty to the People and his officers, although his temper can get quite out of control."

"You didn't see him during the Hamburg incident." She grinned.

"Do I even want to know what you did?"

"No, because I'm sure you would never let me live it down after that."

"Well now I'm curious. You realize that you have to tell me now, right?"

"No way." She tried to walk past him out the door, but he blocked her way. He stood, crossing his arms. Every time she went to get passed him, he would step to the side to block her. She frowned. "Do I need to punch you again?" She asked half serious and half joking.

"I don't think you can reach my face now." He smirked.

Holly grinned wickedly. "Maybe not there..."

Artemis' eyes widened and he quickly stepped back. "Okay, okay. You can go. I'll get it out of you some other time."

Holly laughed and made her way around him after grabbing her weapons and helmet. He followed her as she made her way over to Bough's room. She stopped at the door and turned back to Artemis.

"You're going to stay here to watch me chew him out?"

"Might as well. I have nothing better to do right now." Artemis grinned. Holly watched him, and for some reason felt odd when he grinned. She quickly turned back to the door and knocked.

"Corporal?" She called. Artemis found it amusing when she spoke in her commanding voice, whenever she spoke to the officer of lower rank. She would stand up straight and act serious. But then when she was talking to Artemis or say Foaly, she was completely different. He leaned back against the wall opposite the door to watch.

The door opened and Bough stuck his face out. When he saw who it was he quickly opened the door all the way.

"Corporal, Mister Fowl here says that you were found in his parent's bedroom. Can you tell me why you were there?"

"Um, I sort of got lost when I was on my way back here." He said, looking somewhat humiliated.

"You got lost, so you went _inside_ their room?"

Bough was just about to say something when Butler came around the corner. He whispered something to Artemis, who frowned and nodded. He turned to Holly.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to, some rather urgent business." He turned and walked quickly down the hall with Butler following. Holly watched him go, confused but then turned back to chew out the Corporal.

Artemis walked quickly to his study. Butler came in behind him and Artemis took a seat. "Now, when did they call?"

"Just a minute ago. It seems that their visit was cut short because their friends had some family emergency, so they are already on their way home. They called from the airport, so they should be here within the hour."

Artemis frowned again. "My parents weren't supposed to be arriving back until another two weeks and we need to be at E1 by noon."

"How are you going to explain that you're running off for who knows how long?"

Artemis thought for a minute. "Well, I am eighteen after all, I shouldn't have to explain where I'm going every time I decide to leave the manor." Butler looked at him doubtfully and Artemis sighed. "Very well, I will simply inform them that an old friend of mine has invited me over to stay with them in England. I daresay Mother would be pleased to know that I have friends. We'll need to have Holly, Mulch and Bough in the car while we wait long enough to inform them of where I'm going, or where they'll believe I'm going anyway."

Butler nodded. "In that case, I'll finish getting ready." He stood up and left the room. Artemis put his head into his hands. This was already proving to be frustrating. Unfortunately, it most likely would only get worse when he got to Haven.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in" he said without picking his head up. He listened as whoever it was came in and walked up to his desk. He smiled to himself before saying, "Hello Holly."

"How did you know it was me?"

Artemis looked up. Holly sat there, waiting for an answer.

"Well, your footsteps were very light and barely made any noise."

"Okay, then why couldn't it have been Bough or Mulch? Even Butler knows how to move without making a sound." Holly pointed out.

"Mulch tends to walk around like he owns the place. He can be quite at times, but his rather large feet still make a soft thump. And from what I've seen, your Corporal is a bit of a klutz and walks and acts unsurely, while here. Your footsteps are small, light, and confident."

"Observant little Mud Boy aren't you?" Holly scowled, realizing this sounded a bit familiar. She didn't like how easy it was for Artemis to notice or discover all that. It was like he could read everyone like an open book and know everything about them. It was more than a little unnerving.

"I try. Now how may I help you?" He asked politely.

"I was just wondering what urgent business you had to take care of. You're not planning anything are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"I must say that I am a little insulted at your lack of trust in me." Artemis' voice was filled with sarcasm but also seriousness, and did Holly detect sorrow too? For a split second, his eyes looked almost sad, but then it was gone. She must have imagined it then.

"After all you put the People through, do you deserve the trust Artemis?"

Nope, hadn't imagined it. There was the sorrow again. Mixed with a little bit of regret, and this time, it lasted longer. Artemis sighed. "I believe I told you before that I do harbor doubts over kidnapping you. I never meant for you or any of us to get put into any danger. I _did_ return half of the ransom gold to the People."

It was true. Artemis and Holly had negotiated and Holly had been allowed to leave with half of the gold if she healed Artemis' mother. He had also proved to be decent when he agreed to help fight the B'wa Kell if they helped rescue his father. But it wasn't a matter of decency, but trust. He had proven that he had changed, but could Holly trust him? Holly was still silent and Artemis nodded.

"I see. I suppose I thought friends trusted each other, but it seems I haven't earned your trust yet." His trademark icy voice had come back as well as his icy glare. It was all Holly could do not to shudder at the sudden change in him. "If you'll excuse me Captain Short, I need to prepare for my parent's return and for our trip this afternoon." Artemis stood up and Holly took that as a cue for her to leave, so she got up as well. Feeling confused, uncomfortable, and also somewhat guilty, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

She stood there, her mind going over the last few minutes. _I suppose I thought friends trusted each other._ He considered her a friend. Or at least he had, she thought. Actually, she had considered him a friend too. Foaly hadn't thought it likely or possible, but before Artemis had been wiped, the two of them had grown quite close. She had been upset for some time after that, but refused to show it. They had also been getting along pretty well that morning. She suddenly felt really guilty. Didn't she at least trust him some? After all, she was staying in his house, after being held captive here six years ago. Apparently she trusted him a little bit. _It seems I haven't earned your trust yet._ Holly was suddenly very angry, at herself and at Artemis. How could he say that to her? Did he really think that he deserved it? But then another part of her knew that he _had _changed a lot, and he had been working very hard at being courteous and helpful to them. Although she couldn't say why, she knew that she did trust him. But she was not about to go back in there now.

Instead, she decided to try and find Butler. Artemis had mentioned something about preparing for his parents return. They shouldn't be back yet, according to what he had said earlier. She decided to try and start downstairs first and headed down there. She descended the giant staircase and began her search of the entire first floor. It took her almost a half hour just to search that single floor and she didn't see Butler at all. She headed back to the staircase just as Butler was coming down them.

"Oh, Butler! There you are." She ran up to him and he turned around to face her.

"Oh, hello Captain."

"I need to ask you something. Artemis mentioned something about preparing for his parents return. He said earlier that they weren't supposed to be back for another two weeks."

"Ah, they called earlier from the airport and said that their trip was cancelled. They should be here any minute in fact. Artemis said he was going to have you and Mulch and your Corporal waiting in the car so they wouldn't see you. He didn't tell you?"

Holly frowned. "I might have upset him. But no, he didn't tell me anything about that. He's lucky they haven't got here yet. His parents could have walked right in here and seen one of us."

Just then they heard the front door open. They both looked over to see Artemis Fowl Sr. and Angeline Fowl walk in, with Juliet right behind.


	5. An Appointment With A Shrink

**Author's Note: **Thank you again to all of you have reviewed. Also, please forgive any errors you may come across. I've done my best to edit it and I have had someone else edit it as well.

**Cybergurl:** I'm sorry, I know that there's a lot of people who don't like Artemis and Holly fics, so I don't have to much of it in here, just sort of parts thrown in occasionally and then at the end. Hopefully the rest of the story makes up for it.

**I should be Studying: **Thank you for the review. They'll end up getting together later on.

**misticjadewolf: **Thanks for reviewing. I try to update once a week, so it's not to soon but hopefully not to long.

**R.C.C.: **Thank you for reviewing, I really love your story, and I'm glad you decided to read this one.

**athleticsrulz:** Yes, it will be an AH fic. Not a major one, but it willhave it's moments.

**shadowcat15: **Thanks

**absolute power: **I know it doesn't sound a whole lot like him, and that's the only part where he'll be like that. My friend had been watching me write it and he wanted me to throw that in there for fun. So don't worry, that's as dirty as he gets.

Thank you for the reviews, and keep reviewing please.

**Chapter Five: An Appointment With A Shrink**

**Fowl Manor**

Butler quickly moved in front of Holly, blocking her from view and hissed only loud enough for her to hear, "Shield!" Holly quickly shielded, silently cursing Artemis and also herself for not acting quicker. Once he knew Holly couldn't be seen, Butler moved to help the Fowl's carry their luggage.

"Good day Mister and Mrs. Fowl. Welcome back."

"Hullo Butler." Artemis the First replied cheerfully.

"Hey big bro." Juliet called while carrying three of Mrs. Fowl's bags. Angeline looked around.

"Where's my little Arty? Up on his computer again I suppose." She sighed.

"I'm right here Mother." Artemis Junior appeared on the landing on top of the staircase. He quickly made his way down. Angeline hurried over to her son. "I'm sorry your trip was cut short. Hopefully next time will be more enjoyable." Artemis continued. He no longer spoke in his icy tone, but in a softer one Holly hadn't seen before.

"Yes, it's a shame. Christine, you remember her don't you? Oh well. Her sister fell and broke her ankle, so they had to fly out to help her out. But at least now we'll be able to spend more time with you. Did you miss us?" Angeline asked and Artemis nodded and smiled.

"Of course. Although I'm afraid I'll be leaving shortly. A few friends of mine have invited me to visit for a week or two. I'm to help them with a few of their affairs."

"Really?" Artemis' father looked over in mild surprise. From the look on the Fowl's faces, Artemis having a friend was new to them. Holly watched as Angeline and Artemis Senior shared a pleased look.

"That's wonderful Arty. I'm so proud of you. You have fun now." Angeline then instructed Juliet to help her take her bags upstairs. Juliet shot Artemis and Butler a curious and doubtful look before heading upstairs. Butler then took Mr. Fowl's bags and took them upstairs as well. Artemis Fowl the First walked over to his son.

"So who's your friends son?"

"Well, I met them quite a few years ago, but I hadn't talked to them for awhile, until last night."

"That's great. Where do they live?"

"London. I'll be staying there for perhaps a week or two. Butler will accompany me." The last part went without saying. Artemis didn't go anywhere outside the Manor without Butler. It seemed like Artemis Senior believed his son and was quite happy. Holly had to give the Mud Boy credit. Technically, the only thing he lied about was where he was going. The rest of it was the truth and he told it in a way that didn't reveal anything about the People. Seeing Artemis talk to his parents revealed another side of him that she hadn't seen before. It was clear he loved and respected them. So why did he continue to deceive them about going legitimate?

His father nodded and turned and headed to the kitchen it looked like, so Holly walked over to Artemis, still invisible, and hit him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He complained, rubbing the sore spot on his arm now.

"That was for not telling me about your parents! They almost saw me." She hissed at him. Artemis had a strange look on his face. He looked as though he was trying to use his icy composure but amusement danced in his eyes. The two conflicted until amusement won. He grinned at her and then chuckled. Holly stood there, wondering about what she had just seen. He had been mad and hurt at her a half hour before, and now here he was grinning after she had hit him. This Mud Boy was confusing.

"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" She asked, confused.

"Who said I was ever mad?"

"Artemis..." Holly growled. He gave her an innocent look. "Then what were those glares you were giving me in there?"

"I think mad is the wrong word."

"Oh, and what other word would you use?"

Artemis paused and the humor left from his face. "Hurt." He said bluntly.

Holly cringed. She was still invisible, so he couldn't see her but she could see him. He did indeed look hurt. She figured she knew why he felt that way too. If he had really changed, then experiencing emotions was new to him. So that only made things worse. "Artemis..." She started but was interrupted when she heard footsteps coming downstairs. They both looked up to see Juliet coming down.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play innocent Artemis. I know you better than that." Juliet said.

Holly snorted quietly, so only Artemis could here her. "I know better too. Artemis Fowl and innocent don't go together." Artemis glared down at her and Holly chuckled softly. Juliet still waited for an answer.

"I was on my cell phone if you must know." He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket to show her. Juliet looked at him doubtfully.

"Who would you be talking to on the phone besides Butler? I know it couldn't have been him, since I saw him just two seconds ago. Is Mulch still here? And where are you and Butler _really_ going?"

Artemis frowned at her. "You ask far to many questions." He sighed. "Alright, yes Mulch is still here, but we'll be leaving in just a few minutes."

"To go where? It can't be a normal job or else you would only be gone for a day or two."

"Juliet!" He snapped. "Lower your voice!"

Juliet flinched and looked around. "Sorry." She said softer. "So where are you going?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Holly, would you be so kind as to show yourself?" But Holly remained invisible. "Holly!" Artemis hissed. She was trying to make him look like a fool and by the look on Juliet's face, it was working. Was she even still in here? Yes, he saw a slight shimmer near him. He was just about whack her on the head when realization dawned on Juliet's face.

"Holly? She's here? Where?"

Holly giggled and speckled into view. "Hi Juliet."

"Hey Holly! What are you doing here? What did Artemis do this time?"

Artemis narrowed his eyes at her. "For your information, I did nothing wrong concerning the People. But they require Mulch, Butler, and my services, so we will be accompanying them back to Haven."

Juliet's eyes widened in excitement. "Sounds like fun. When are we leaving?"

"_We _are leaving in about ten minutes. _You _are to remain here."

Juliet pouted. "Please Arty? I don't have anything else to do." Juliet was one of the very few people who were allowed to call Artemis 'Arty,' including Artemis' mother. Actually, Artemis had always told Juliet to not use that pet name, but she had never listened. They had grown up together, so he didn't mind to terribly. Mulch also called him by that name, no matter how much Artemis told him he detested it. Nobody else, besides those three, dared to call him that.

"Yeah, _Arty_, why can't she come?" Holly said teasingly. Correction, only Holly dared to.

"Because she must remain here. My parents may suspect something if she comes along. Besides, she's supposed to be guarding my mother." He pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll tell them that Butler wants to use this as an opportunity to teach me a few things." Juliet said. Artemis glared at both of them. He really didn't feel like arguing but he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"What will the Commander think?" He asked pointedly to Holly. She thought a minute.

"I'm sure he'll be okay with it. The more help the better."

"It'll be harder to hide three humans compared to two. Are you sure you have enough camouflage foil?"

Holly frowned again. She only had enough for Artemis and Butler. Artemis was right. Just then, Mulch and Bough hurried downstairs. Mulch stopped in front of Artemis.

"We waited until Butler came and got us just like you said. Oh, hey Stinker." Mulch greeted Juliet and then turned back to Artemis.

"Good. You have all your stuff then?" Artemis asked and the two nodded. Holly turned to Artemis.

"Let me get this straight. You warned them but not me?"

Artemis shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind." He turned back to Mulch and Bough. Juliet looked over at Bough too.

"Who are you?" She asked. He was about to answer but Artemis interrupted.

"That's Corporal Bough, and they need to get into the Limousine right now before they're seen."

"But if he's another one of those fairy police, won't he have foil too?" Juliet pointed out. Artemis was quickly loosing his patience. These people could not follow simple instructions.

"Juliet, go and pack a few things and then tell my parents you'll be accompanying Butler and myself. Be back down here in no more than ten minutes."

Juliet grinned and nodded before taking off upstairs. Butler arrived back down carrying the bags and he led Mulch and Bough out to the car. Artemis sat down in a chair and Holly looked over at him.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm getting a headache." Artemis replied and Holly smiled.

"You need to learn to lighten up some."

Artemis looked over to her. "So I'm supposed to start taking advice from you now?"

Holly shrugged. "Hey, do I care if you listen? But did you ever stop to think that if you don't expect so much of everybody else, than more people will like you? Not everybody is a genius like you, you know."

"Yes, I realize that, but that is no excuse-" He started but stopped at the look Holly had on her face.

"Maybe you haven't changed all that much after all." She said sadly. Artemis opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Shocked, he closed his mouth and sat there. Holly watched him and then turned and left in the direction Butler had taken the others.

Artemis still sat there stunned. He didn't know what to think or feel now. Of course he had changed! As much as he hated to admit it, he had. Ever since getting his memories back he had been experiencing more emotions, like feeling guilty for deceiving his parents. Holly had no right to say that. What did she know? Wasn't he going to help the People? His first instinct had been to stay out of their affairs. But after he considered it more, he had leaned towards helping them. He had changed, he thought stubbornly. The old Artemis would have helped but for a larger price. Going soft was what Mulch had said. But then another voice spoke in his head, asking why he cared so much. Why should he care what everyone else thinks of him? Why should he be upset at the fact that Holly didn't think he had changed? Why should he care about whither she trusts him or not? All of those thoughts were running through his mind and he didn't even notice when Juliet walked up and was standing right in front of him. It was only when she called his name, did he realize that she was there. She gave him a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Do you think I've changed?" The question was out before he could stop it. Juliet looked surprised at first, but then smiled.

"Changed as in attitude change?" Artemis nodded, feeling embarrassed and regretting that he had asked Juliet. She would more than likely make some smart remark or laugh. He was surprised when she did neither. "Yes, I've noticed a big change in the last few months mostly, but even before that. You haven't completely changed. You can still be stuck up and snappy sometimes." She lowered her voice for the next part, not wanting anyone else to hear. "Butler told me about _why_ you wanted me to teach you to cook. You never told me, just demanded that I teach you. He's grateful that you would do that and I don't think the Artemis from a couple years ago would have been that generous. He also told me when we were upstairs that you and Holly have been getting along pretty well." She smiled wider and Artemis looked up in alarm and then glared at her. She chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"There's nothing to tell. We're just friends." He snapped. Then added quieter, "At least I thought so." Juliet sat down in the chair next to him.

"Alright, what happened?"

Artemis looked at her amused. "You realize that I do not do well with psychologists. There has only ever been one that I have not sent to a mental institution."

"Do I look like your average shrink? Besides, I'm used to your little mind games and sarcastic comments. So let me give it a shot."

Artemis thought about it and then shrugged. "I believe the usual time limit is an hour, but I'm afraid we only have precisely five minutes." He said and brought up his wrist to reveal his watch. He looked at it and then said, "You may begin your questioning now."

Juliet fought back a grin. "So would you like to start off by telling me when Holly and that other Bough guy got here and why they need our help?"

Artemis frowned. "If we start from there it will take a lot more than five minutes. We need to be to Tara by noon."

"So that still leaves us with an hour to get there. Don't worry, if I drive we'll get there in record timing."

"I think I'll let Butler keep driving. You drove me once and that was enough." Juliet laughed as Artemis' pale face went even paler, as he thought back to that event.

"That was three years ago and it wasn't my fault that the other car wanted to race."

"Juliet, it was trying to turn off the highway and you were blocking it."

Juliet ignored him. "So, are you going to start?"

Artemis sighed. "Very well." He then proceeded to tell her about the previous night and why they were they heading to Tara. He finished a few minutes later and Juliet was silent while contemplating everything.

Finally, she said, "Okay from what I've seen there are at least two things bothering you, and I know what one is. But I need to know what you and Holly did this morning."

Artemis frowned. "That's none of your business."

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "You can tell me, unless you have something to hide...?"

"No, I don't. But I don't see why I can't just tell you what the problem is."

"Now where's the fun in that? I want the whole story."

Artemis glared at her. "Juliet..."

Juliet glared back, fighting the urge to laugh. "Artemis."

He chuckled. "This is getting us nowhere you know."

Juliet grinned. "I know. So you better tell me." She said perkily. Artemis sighed, defeated. Normally, he would never let anyone tell him what to do or talk back to him, but annoying though she was, Juliet had always been sort of like a sister or a friend to him. Albeit one that did as he told and was also his bodyguard. So he told her about cooking breakfast, talking/arguing with Holly, then Holly teaching him to use the dishwasher (Juliet had known about this part from Butler, but didn't tell Artemis that. She had laughed quite hard at first too), and then lastly told her about when Holly came into his study.

"So, you don't think she trusts you, and that hurt you because you considered her a friend." Artemis nodded hesitantly. Juliet continued. "What is also bothering you is that you realize you care about whither or not she trusts you." Artemis nodded again. Juliet was figuring out all this on her own. He had only told her about his question to Holly and her lack of answer. "Congratulations Arty." He looked at her in surprise.

"For what?"

"For finally becoming a human." She grinned. "You're no longer the cold, evil Artemis who cares nothing about others except himself and his greed. Which brings us to your other problem. Whither or not you've changed. I think we just proved it."

Artemis thought about it. "It was a lot easier being that cold Artemis that didn't experience emotions."

"Because for once you're confused and don't know what to do." Artemis' shoulders sagged and he nodded once. "Don't worry, you now know what everyone else goes through. You may never truly understand your emotions, but just come to me if you need help. I'm a girl, I'm pretty in tune with emotions. But anyway, back to your first problem, about trust. You think Holly doesn't trust you." Artemis didn't say anything so she continued. "If you want my opinion, she does trust you. At least some."

"What do you mean?"

"She stayed here didn't she? She's willing to accept your help and take you underground."

"Perhaps." Artemis said thoughtfully. Butler walked in and they both looked up at him.

"Artemis? We should be going now." Butler said and Artemis nodded and got up. Juliet followed, saying, "You can settle the bill with my secretary here." She gestured to Butler, who gave them both a confused look. Juliet laughed and Butler, seeing that they weren't going to explain, turned and led the way out to the car.

"You know, you may actually make a good psychologist." Artemis commented to Juliet.

"Maybe, but I could never sit around all day, listening to a bunch of losers whine about how their dad never loved them."

Artemis chuckled. "I agree. I don't think I would have the patience for that." They stepped outside and found the Limo parked, ready to go. Butler opened the back door and Artemis got in. Mulch, Holly, and Bough were already sitting back there. Mulch had helped himself to a bottle of Irish Spring Water and was leaning back comfortably. Bough had never been in a Mud Man vehicle before and was acting slightly nervous but also curious. He was examining every little thing on the inside. Holly was just sitting there calmly. Juliet sat up front next to Butler in the passenger seat.

They were just about to pull away when Angeline Fowl appeared at the front door. She waved for them to stop and began to move towards the car. Holly and Bough turned invisible right away but Mulch was stuck visible. So Artemis quickly got out to speak to his mother. Mulch sighed, relieved.

"That was close." He admitted. Holly's voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"It's your own problem for forfeiting your magic."

Mulch shrugged. "Hey, I'd do it again too. It was to boring for me in the mines."

"So you decided to take up a life of crime instead." Holly said, a tiny bit of disgust creeping into her voice.

"It's a lot more interesting and it pays more. Besides, thanks to my skills and experience, I've saved your hides on more than one occasion."

Holly chose not to answer and turned her attention to outside the car. Artemis hugged his mother and Holly realized that she had never seen Artemis actually hug anybody before. Whenever he was around his parents, especially his mother, Artemis seemed to be a whole different person.

"You know, he doesn't seem to be so evil." Bough said from somewhere nearby. Holly didn't answer right away but Mulch did.

"Nah, he's not. You LEP guys-excuse me, _officers_," He corrected with a glance over at where he figured Holly to be. "only make him out to be evil because of that thing with Holly six years ago. He's really not that bad. Right Holly?"

Holly hesitated before saying, "No, he's not evil, but he's still annoying."

Mulch smirked. "For an annoying Mud Boy, you two seemed to be getting along pretty well."

Holly turned red, glad that no one could see her. She pulled out her buzz baton and zapped Mulch. He yelped and jumped a foot, narrowly missing hitting his head on the roof. Artemis entered the car again to hear Holly and Bough giggling and Mulch was rubbing his arm with a pained expression. Artemis raised an eyebrow after the car door was closed.

"It seems as if I can't leave you three alone for just a few minutes." He said. Holly and Bough became visible and Mulch slowly backed away from Holly, scooting along the seat. Artemis pressed the button and the glass divider slid down, revealing the two front seats.

"Butler, we can go now. We now have about forty-five minutes get there." Butler nodded and began pulling out of the long driveway. Juliet turned on the radio loud, causing Artemis to moan. He rolled the soundproof divider back up just as Butler began lecturing his sister on why a bodyguard should not play loud music while escorting the principal. Artemis sat back and grabbed a water bottle for himself. He then looked at Holly and Bough. "Please, help yourself to something to drink. I see Mulch already has." He ended dryly, glancing at the dwarf who grinned at him. Holly nodded and reached for two bottles and tossed one to Bough.

Mulch started rummaging through his bag for something and eventually found what he was looking for. He pulled out a bottle of sun block and opened it up to smear it on himself but cursed instead. "D'Arvit!" He began shaking the bottle but nothing came out.

"What's the matter?" Holly asked.

"I'm all out." He pouted.

"So? It's not like you'll be out in the sun much. Just long enough to get on the shuttle."

"But I have a three minute burn time. Dwarves have very sensitive skin you know." He pointed out.

"Don't worry, we'll have you wait in the car until the shuttle's ready." Holly said and Artemis nodded. They reached Tara a little while later and Holly guided Butler in the right direction to get to the hidden entrance.

"Butler, you may want to park a ways away, that way we don't draw attention to that area." Artemis said and Butler nodded.

"Hey! How am I supposed to get there without getting burned then?" Mulch protested. Holly grinned and Mulch was extremely surprised to find how much her grin resembled Artemis' vampire smile.

"Well, I guess you'll have to run then, won't you?" She said.

"You know, don't take this personally or anything, but you can be pretty scary." Mulch said and Holly grinned again.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She said and Artemis chuckled. Butler parked the car about a mile from the shuttle entrance and everybody gathered their things up. Holly and Bough turned invisible again after putting on their helmets and wings. Mulch had to use a coat to cover his head the best he could. Butler and Juliet were carrying most of the bags but even Artemis helped out a little and carried one of the lighter bags. They started across the field, Holly and Bough flying above them.

The group looked quite odd. A mammoth man carrying luggage, a blonde young lady also carrying bags, a pale eighteen year old in a fancy suit, and what looked to be a very short man with a coat over his head. Artemis secretly hoped no cars passed by.

"You know, why can't I just meet you guys down there?" Mulch asked.

"You mean dig? No, the Commander said I need to keep an eye on you." Holly said.

"But I'm not going to run, I swear. And we don't have to tell Julius."

"No way. Sorry, Mulch, but I've defied enough orders already. We're almost there, and if you try one wrong move, I have my baton ready." She threatened.

Mulch pouted and picked up the pace. "I can already feel my skin burning." He muttered quietly, but not so quiet that Holly wouldn't hear.

They finally reached the hidden shuttle entrance. They passed by a holographic cow that 'mooed' at them. Artemis glanced at it when he walked by. "Holographic, there's even sound and smell." He said, not in the least bit surprised. The People had far more fascinating inventions than just the cow. By now, Artemis was sweating. It was a warm day and he had just walked a mile in the sun. It was better than walking through radiation and snow and freezing wind in the Arctic so Artemis was doing his best not to complain. He still couldn't stop himself from making grouchy expressions. They had arrived a few minutes early, so Artemis plopped down onto a large rock to rest, for once not caring about dirtying his clothes. Holly saw him and grinned.

"What's the matter Artemis? You can't be tired already, can you?" Artemis turned and glared at the faint blurry area near him. Holly laughed. "It wasn't that long of a walk." Artemis still glared at her.

"Easy for you to say Fairy, you have wings." He snapped. Holly took off her pack and went through it. She pulled out her bottle of water from the car and tossed it to Artemis, who miraculously caught it.

"We wouldn't want you to pass out on us." Holly said, almost sarcastically. Artemis opened the bottle to take a sip but eyed her carefully. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it." She assured him and then added, "Don't you trust me?" Artemis looked at her carefully before drinking. When half of it was gone, he held it out for her to take back. She put it back into her bag and sat down, un-shielding. Artemis glanced around to make sure nobody was around to see her and then looked at her curiously. "The sun drains my magic, so it's easier to un-shield so I'm preserving it." She answered to the unasked question. Artemis nodded. They only had to wait another minute before noon. Holly and Bough covered the three humans in cam foil and then led them and a beat red Mulch to the large mound where the entrance was.


	6. In Haven

**Thank you to those of you who have reviewed. Please keep it up. I want to know how I'm doing.**

**refloc:** Thanks. I know the chapters are really long, but I have a hard time breaking them down further. Originally chapters four and five were all one, but that was way to long.

**IwuvMyKenshyPoo:** Lol, thanks.

**Shion20:** Thank you.

**R.C.C. **I agree. I doubt Artemis is capable of turning evil again just so long as he has his memories of the People. When are you going to update your story? I love it and you left it on like a cliff hanger.

**Chapter Six: In Haven**

**Police Plaza, Underground Haven**

Root waited impatiently for Foaly to buzz him into Ops. Foaly had told him to come back in ten minutes and he had waited fifteen.

"Foaly, your pay check is going to be docked if you don't open this door right now!" He roared through the intercom, knowing that budget threats always got the centaur to listen. A second later he heard, "Yes sir." Only it didn't come from the intercom speaker or the booth. Root spun around to find the centaur walking up behind him holding a coffee in one hand and a bag of carrots in the other. Root turned an impossible red, mostly from embarrassment.

"Where were you?" He growled. Foaly held up the carrots and the coffee.

"I was hungry. Now what is it you need?" He opened the door to Ops after punching in a series of codes and speaking the password to a specially modified computer that would recognize his voice. Root followed him in.

"I need to know if you've seen or heard from Corporal Kelp today. He was supposed to check in over an hour ago."

"No, I haven't seen or heard from him lately. Have you asked Trouble?"

"Yes and he hasn't talked to him since yesterday. Foaly, get a line to his house and ask his mother if he's there."

Foaly did as he was told. Root sat down to wait. He listened as Foaly asked Mrs. Kelp, thanked her, and disconnected.

"Well?" Root asked, somewhat nervously.

"He's home. He had a headache and didn't want to come in today." Foaly chuckled.

"I'm going to strangle him." Root growled but the tone of voice revealed it was an empty threat. He was to relieved that another name hadn't been added to their missing list.. "I'll tell Trouble then. When he found out his brother hadn't shown up, he looked ready to tear through all of Haven to find him." Root chuckled.

Foaly grinned. "I think he'd do it too." Root got up to leave and Foaly added, "Oh, Holly should be getting here soon. I watched them get off the shuttle before going to get my carrots." Foaly informed the Commander. Root sighed and nodded before exiting the booth. He headed over to where the Captain's cubicles were. Trouble was at his desk, trying to concentrate on getting his paperwork done. He looked up as the Commander reached his desk. "Did you find him?"

Root nodded. "He had a headache so he's at home."

Trouble sighed in relief. "Why didn't he call in?"

Root shrugged. "Foaly didn't ask. I'll give him a warning later on. I wouldn't be surprised if he did try calling but our lines have been so busy." Root said. He knew it was no excuse and any other time he would have done more than just warn him. But he and Trouble were both to relieved. Just then an officer ran over to them.

"Captain Short just got here sir."

Root nodded. "Have her take the humans and the convict to my office and I'll meet them there." The officer took off back in the direction he came from. Root turned to Trouble. "Come on Captain."

Trouble looked at him in surprise. "You want me to go?" Trouble was thinking of Butler and how he had taken on and beat Trouble and his whole team, which was the best on the force.

"Yes, you're going to be working together, so you need to be properly introduced."

Trouble gulped. "Yes sir." He said, trying not to show his discomfort. He did a good job but Root knew him better than that.

"We're on the same side now. You don't have to worry." He told him before turning and leading him to his office. Holly, Artemis, Butler, Juliet, and Mulch were already there. Artemis was sitting calmly while Butler and Juliet stood behind him. Trouble went over and stood next to Holly, who nodded greeting to him.

"Good day Commander." Artemis said politely. Root grunted and lit a cigar. Mulch was sitting next to Artemis and seemed to be enjoying the fact that he could walk around the plaza and not get arrested.

"Okay Fowl, let's get you filled in completely of the situation." Root said.

"Yes. Have any more gone missing?" Artemis asked.

"Thankfully, no. We had a small scare earlier though."

"What do you mean?" Holly asked.

Trouble answered her. "Grub had a headache and didn't come in or call. We finally got a hold of him." Holly rolled her eyes. Root pulled out a clipboard and handed it to Artemis.

"These are all of the one's gone missing."

Artemis began going through each of the twelve profiles. They consisted of pictures, general information, and when and where they were last seen. "I'll go through these and see if there could be any connections between them." Artemis said, closing the folders.

"Okay, you four are going to be staying here in this building. We can't risk you leaving for a few reasons. Only the council and the LEP know you're down here and it's going to stay that way. We had a few empty conference and storage rooms that we cleaned out and prepared for you to sleep in." Root said, referring to Mulch, Artemis and the two Butler siblings. Root gestured to Trouble. "This is Captain Trouble Kelp. Him and Holly are to help you with anything as far as solving this thing. Kelp, this is Artemis Fowl. You've met Butler before." Butler gave them a curious look.

"You took out him and his team six years ago during the siege." They all turned around and found Foaly walking in. Realization dawned on Butler's face.

"Sorry about that." He said to Trouble, who nodded that it was fine. Artemis turned to Foaly.

"Foaly." He greeted him and put out his hand which Foaly shook.

"Hey Artemis. Hi Butler, Mulch." Foaly said, somewhat cheerfully. Root puffed on his cigar impatiently.

"Kelp, this is Juliet, Butler's sister, and Diggums." He finished the introductions. Trouble said 'Hello' to all of them. Root turned to Foaly. "What do you need?"

"I have some papers for you to sign and I just wanted to say Hi to everyone." Root took the papers from Foaly and quickly signed them. By now the Commander's office was pretty full and Root was anxious to get everyone out.

"Short, Kelp, take them to where they'll be staying. Kelp knows where it is. You two can show them around on the way."

Holly and Trouble nodded. Artemis got up, still holding the clipboard with all the profiles, and followed the two captains. Mulch, Butler, and Juliet followed too. Mulch was still dark red and had been begging Holly to heal him ever since boarding the shuttle. Her reply was the same each time, that it was his own problem for forfeiting his magic. Artemis walked silently, while observing everything around him. All of the officers were eyeing him suspiciously. They all knew why he was here, but some still looked at him nervously and others defiantly. Artemis kept his cool composure and merely concentrated on memorizing the way they had come from and were going.

"Okay, here we are." Trouble announced. They had come to an empty hallway with three doors on each side. Trouble opened one and gestured to Mulch. It was a rather small room with a few pieces of furniture arranged. Mulch glanced in.

"That's it? No master suit?"

"Not for convicts such as yourself. Consider yourself lucky that it isn't a cell." Holly said pointedly.

"Ex-Convict." Mulch lied.

Holly snorted. "Not from what I hear. You just stay out of trouble. We're going to keep an eye on you and the Commander gave us permission to check your room occasionally in case you've been stealing anything."

Mulch tried to look innocent but disappointment still showed. The next room was a bit bigger and Juliet got that one. Across from Mulch's room was Butler's and right next to Butler was Artemis.

"Why does he get the big, nice room?" Mulch complained when he looked into the room for Artemis. It was bigger than Mulch's and decorated nicer. The bed was an actual bed and not a cot. He also had a large desk along with some chairs scattered around. Artemis smirked at Mulch before dragging his two bags into the room. Holly turned to Trouble.

"Why _did_ he get such a nice room?" From the look on her voice, it seemed like she thought Artemis should be in a cell too. Trouble shrugged.

"The Commander put a few officers in charge of getting these rooms ready and Corporal Frond was one of them." Holly's face screwed up in disgust, but before she could say anything, Artemis came back. Everybody else had gone into their new temporary rooms to unpack. Trouble spoke up. "Let us know if you need anything. Our desks are back the way we came and to the left right before the Commander's office. The cafeteria is right down the hallway, take a right at the drinking fountain and the entrance is on your left." Artemis nodded.

"What about the restrooms?" Juliet asked as she poked her head out of her room.

"We don't keep ours in our houses, but for this building it's in the back in a small section." Holly explained. Juliet looked at her, shocked.

"You go to the bathroom outside? I thought you guys had more advanced technology?"

Holly glared. "We do, but don't you find it disgusting that you do your business in your home?"

"No, not really. We flush it so it doesn't stay in our homes."

Holly was just about to retort when Artemis interrupted. "As much as I would love to continue listening to this conversation," he said sarcastically, "I think I'll go and get to work." He said and then turned and closed the door. He walked over to the bed where he had left his bags and opened up one of them and pulled out his laptop. He set it up on the desk and began going through all of the profiles. He spread them out across the desk and began taking notes. After about an hour, he got up and left the room. He headed down the hallway, passing by Butler's open door. Without looking back, Artemis said, "It's okay Butler. I'm just going to find Holly."

Butler smiled and went back into his room to keep reading his book. Artemis followed Trouble's instructions and found Holly sitting at her desk, doodling pictures. She didn't see him come up, so when he spoke, she jumped.

"So this is what LEP captains do at work?" When Holly saw it was just him, she relaxed. "Haven must sleep great at night knowing the LEP are so dedicated to keeping them safe." He continued. Holly grinned.

"Did you come here just to pick on me?"

"As tempting as it seems, no. I actually came to see if you have a map of Haven I can borrow."

"A map? I don't have one but I'm sure Foaly does. Wait here and I'll be right back."

"I can go with you."

"Artemis, all of Haven is controlled in that booth. I don't think it's wise to let you in there just yet."

Artemis grinned. "There's that trust issue again, Captain. We're going to have to get over that."

Holly chuckled and headed off in the direction of Ops. Artemis didn't want to sit down in her chair, fearing he may break it. Instead, he examined Holly's desk. It was somewhat organized but still messy. She had half finished reports scattered around, notebooks with notes and sketches of various things, an empty energy drink, with energy bar wrappers, and even a third of a sandwich sitting near her computer. Curious, Artemis picked up a notebook to read it. It was filled with reminders for all sorts of things, including when her rent was due, needed to go to the store, when reports were due, and when her scheduled overtime was. There were also sketches of shuttles, that Artemis thought were quite good. Artemis jumped slightly when he heard someone clear their throat. He turned and found Holly standing there with her arms crossed, watching him. His cheeks turned a slight pink, realizing he had been caught.

"Sorry, I was curious." He handed the notebook back to her. "Those drawings are good, by the way."

"Thank you. It's always been a hobby. I would get in trouble at school because I would get caught doodling instead of doing my math." Holly admitted.

"If you promise not to tell anyone, I have never been good at drawing. I believe the last picture I attempted to draw consisted of stick figures. It takes quite some time whenever I'm working on plans for a new invention." He said, surprised that he had just confessed that to her. He figured that now she would rub it into his face that he wasn't perfect. But Holly just smiled, not a teasing smile but a genuine one.

"I used to be the same way. My teacher finally got frustrated and said if I was going to draw, then it might as well be good, so she stuck me in an art class to get good at it."

Surprised, Artemis grinned. Their eyes met again, only this time in lasted longer. _She really is sort of pretty,_ Artemis thought as he stared into her hazel eyes. Embarrassed, he dropped his gaze. Had he really thought that? He supposed he had always thought that about her, but it had always been a dangerous sort of pretty. But lately he found he enjoyed being around her. They were constantly arguing and sarcastic with each other, but occasionally, like just a second ago, they got a long really well. Holly coughed and he saw that her cheeks were pink. She held out a rolled up map and he took it.

"Foaly said you could keep it. He's got plenty." She said, avoiding eye contact now.

"Okay, thank him for me. I suppose I should get back to work." He said and she nodded. He walked quickly around her and back the way he had come. He suddenly realized his throat had gone dry. Recalling Trouble's instructions, he headed to the cafeteria. There were a few elves and sprites sitting around eating and chatting. They glanced up as he walked in, but went right back to their meals and conversations. Artemis walked over to where there were a few old vending machines. He frowned when he realized that he had no way of paying for anything. He definitely didn't want to go back and ask Holly.

"Hey, you that Artemis Fowl?" A voice called. Artemis looked down and saw a sprite in an apron waving his spatula at him. Artemis had to refrain from laughing at the peculiar sight.

"Yes, I am."

The sprite continued. "Commander Root said you and your friends are to get free food and drink." He informed him and Artemis could see that the sprite did not enjoy that one bit.

"Oh, well, I would pay you except that I'm afraid what money I have won't do you any good."

The sprite thought about it and then smiled. "Tell you what? How about you give me that watch of yours and you and your friends can have all the free food you want and no hard feelings."

Artemis narrowed his eyes at the sprite, whose expression became less cocky. After considering it, Artemis decided to just give him the watch. Luckily he hadn't worn his more expensive one. This one was considerable cheaper but still a nice watch. He figured it was a small price to pay if he was going to get along with the fairies. "I don't think the Commander would approve of this, but I'm the type to handle these things on my own." He began taking off his watch and grumbled, "It better be good food."

The sprite grinned as he took the watch and examined it. "Maybe you're not that bad after all kid. Don't you worry, we'll get you the best food in the house." He turned and Artemis followed him over to the kitchens. Artemis waited outside the door and a few minutes later the sprite and another one came back out with two trays full of all different kinds of food. Artemis' eyes widened when he saw them.

"Where do you want it?" The sprite asked.

Artemis was still looking at all the food and mumbled, "I'll eat in my room." The two sprites let Artemis lead the way. When they reached his room, they put the two trays on his desk and left. The second sprite returned a minute later with the drinks. It was only then that Artemis felt his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and the food looked good. He sat down and began trying a little of each thing. He didn't like the pizza, but then he never had. The fruit and vegetables were excellent though, as was the chicken and roast beef. He was just about try some of the pumpkin pie when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said, using his fork to cut a piece of the pie. He was putting it into his mouth when Mulch came in.

"Hey Arty, I...You've been holding out on us!" Mulch walked over to the desk and Artemis grinned.

"You should try the pie, it's superb." He said, going back for another bite. Mulch took a fork and began eating too.

"Mmm, this _is_ good. I've eaten here before and it tasted horrible. How did you manage to get _good_ food?"

"Well, we're supposed to get free food while staying here but I ended up having to give up my watch to some sprite."

"And he hooked you up with all this?" Mulch asked. Artemis nodded. He then decided he was going to try some of the juice. It looked to be berry, so he poured himself a glass and tasted it. It was berry, but it had a sweeter taste than normal, making it taste really good. There was another knock at the door.

"Don't let them in." Mulch whispered. "More for us."

Artemis chuckled. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened anyways. Trouble came in carrying something, but stopped when he saw all the food.

"Holy Frond. Where did you get all that? I thought you weren't supposed to leave the building." He moved over to the desk.

"Cafeteria." Artemis replied simply.

"The cafeteria here? I didn't even know they had pie. How is it you get all this when we're stuck with bean burritos?" He asked. Artemis smiled and held up the plate of pie for him.

"Arty's already friends with the chef." Mulch said happily.

"What did you do, threaten him?" Holly stood in the doorway. Her eyes were wide too.

"Well, whatever he did, I'm eating with him from now on." Trouble said, sitting down on the bed with the pie. Holly took the plate of chicken and found a spot on the floor. Artemis poured himself a glass of the wine that had been delivered too.

"I suppose I should go get Butler and Juliet. It would be cruel to not let them try some of it." Artemis said and got up.

"It's not like cruelty is some foreign thing to you." Holly said. Artemis glared at her.

"You're right. Maybe you would like to go back to your bean burritos?" He said and Holly grinned and shook her head.

"That's alright. Go and get them."

Artemis walked toward the door, mumbling, "Ungrateful little fairy." Fairies had more sensitive hearing, so she heard him. She through a pillow at his back, but he had seen her from the corner of his eye and ducked out of the way. He smirked triumphantly and was rewarded with a different pillow in the face. Artemis picked up the new one that she had just thrown as Holly, Trouble and Mulch all laughed. He glowered at her before leaving the room. He knocked on Butler's door and then Juliet's. They both came out and he gestured for them to follow him.

"Oh, food!" Juliet exclaimed. Holly was still laughing and Artemis glared at her again.

"It's not that funny." He said to her.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she said, "I know, but it felt so good to laugh. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile."

Artemis softened his expression and even smiled. Holly had her arm on her ribs now because they were beginning to hurt. Juliet looked at the two of them while taking a bite of pizza.

"What happened?" She asked. Artemis had no intention of answering but Trouble did, who was already finishing the pumpkin pie.

"Holly hit him in the face with a pillow."

Juliet snickered and Artemis threw the pillow he was still holding, at her. "Hey!" It hit her in the stomach. She went to throw it back at him but he ducked and it hit Holly. Artemis started laughing along with Trouble. Holly threw it back and it hit Artemis.

"Juliet was the one that hit you!" He protested.

"Yeah, but she was aiming for you." Holly pointed out.

"Hey Arty, you want to go get us some more food?" Mulch asked. Artemis turned and saw that mostly all of the food was now gone. Butler was eating the roast beef and Juliet was eating the pizza.

"You already ate it all?" He asked incredulously. Mulch grinned. "I think you've had enough then." Artemis said. He was still hungry and was looking for any remaining food. Holly was still eating the chicken and there was still quite a bit more left. Mulch pouted and poured himself a glass of water. Butler and Juliet finished off their food. Trouble had finished the pie and was licking the crumbs off the fork. Artemis was still eyeing the chicken that Holly was slowly eating. Artemis then turned his attention to Holly as she tore a piece of the chicken ad put it into her mouth and then sucked the juice off the tip of her fingers. Artemis blushed and quickly looked away. His eyes met Juliet's whose was filled with amusement. Still blushing, he turned his attention on something else. His eyes fell on a rolled up piece of parchment, the thing that Trouble had brought. Trouble saw him looking.

"Oh, I forgot. Foaly asked me to give this to you. He said to tell you that he found a more detailed map than the one he gave you before."

"Excellent. Tell him thank you."

"Sure. Well, thanks for the food. I need to get back to finishing some paperwork." He said as he got up. He left the room and Butler and Juliet got up as well.

"Yeah, we'll go too, that way you can get back to your work." Juliet said and nudged Mulch on the way by. The three of them left leaving just Artemis and Holly. She was still eating but went to get up.

"No, you're fine, keep eating." Artemis said and she sat back down. Artemis piled all the plates back onto the trays and put them by the door. He then took the two maps and sat down at the desk. He unrolled each of them and picked the one Trouble had brought. Holly got up, still eating, and walked over to watch. After a minute, Artemis felt and heard his stomach growl. He tried to ignore it and hoped Holly hadn't heard. No such luck.

"Here, want some?" She asked, holding out the plate of chicken. Artemis shook his head. "Come on, I heard your stomach." She said, smiling.

"You can eat. I had some pie earlier." He said. He was very tempted to take some anyway, but wanted her to eat. Then his stomach growled again and he smiled sheepishly. Holly grinned and took a piece of chicken and handed it to him. He took it and ate it, surprised that it was still warm. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do since we ate all your food." Holly watched him take another piece of chicken and then started sorting through the files. He looked at something in each one and then would mark an X on a spot on the map. After he had eleven X's, Holly had to ask. "What are you doing?"

Artemis waited until he had one more X before replying. "I'm marking all the places where there were kidnappings. That way I can see if I can find some sort of connection that way."

Holly nodded. She stayed silent while he studied the map. After a few minutes, she heard him say "Hmm."

"What?"

"Well, do you notice anything about where all the kidnappings have taken place?"

Holly studied the map. "No, not really. They're all just scattered around." She looked again. "They're all in that one area though." All of the X's were on the left side of the map. Artemis nodded and smiled at her.

"Maybe there's hope for you yet."

Holly narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean Mud Boy?" Artemis grinned and turned back to the map. "So…what does it mean when they're all over there?" She asked.

""Well, I'm not entirely certain yet. Do you happen to know if anyone was sent to investigate these areas?"

"Yeah, the Commander sent a team each time but found nothing."

"Were there any witnesses for any of these?" Artemis asked.

"Sort of. Like for the latest one, there were two who saw two cloaked figures go up to Chix and took him into an alley."

"Did anyone see anybody come out?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. Okay, do you think you and Captain Kelp can go there and see if you can find anything?"

"Sure, but what are we looking for?"

"Well, the three of them had to have gone somewhere."

"So, see if we can find some hidden exit?"

Artemis nodded. "Since I can't go with you, I'll see if I can get Foaly to let me talk to you through your radios. I'll need to see everything too."

"Okay, I'll go get Trouble and tell the Commander." Holly let the room and Artemis watched her go. He then gathered up the profiles and the map and was about to head out the door when he saw the trays. Frowning, he put the profiles and the maps down and picked up the trays making sure he had all the dishes. There was one last piece of chicken, which Artemis ate. He left the room and headed to the cafeteria.


	7. The Scene of the Crime

**Thanks for your reviews. Please keep it up. I'm only getting a few for each chapter. Let me know what you think.**

**Shion20:** You figured it out! I think you're the only one that did.

**refloc: **Good point. I guess I hadn't thought about that. Sorry. I'll have to fix that later.

**me, obviously: **Don't worry, Lily is coming up in the next chapter. It will be somewhat interesting between her, Artemis and Holly.

And then thanks also to **misticjadewolf **and **Sweetdeath04**

**Chapter Seven: The Scene of the Crime**

**Police Plaza, Underground Haven**

The cafeteria was practically full now, so Artemis figured it must be one of their meals. He saw a counter where everyone piled their empty trays and dishes. As he began making his way over there, the sprite Artemis had given his watch to, saw him and came over.

"You ate all that already?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Well, I had some help. Thanks…"

"My names Johnny."

"Thank you Johnny. The food was excellent."

"No problem. There's more where it came from, so whenever you get hungry, let me know. Me and the boys will fix you up."

Artemis nodded and set the two trays on the counter and left. He needed to find Foaly but didn't know where the Operations Booth was located. He remembered seeing Holly go off to get the map for him, so he had a general idea of where the booth may be. He went back to his room long enough to grab the map and the profiles and then headed back out. He was walking in the direction he had seen Holly go in earlier when he heard her voice. Curious, he turned the corner and saw her talking to some officer.

"Sorry, can't. I'm working." She said. Artemis stopped a distance away to watch.

"Okay, what about tomorrow night?"

"Working. Root has me doing a bunch of overtime." She said. Even from where he stood, Artemis could tell she was lying. The guy looked disappointed but was not about to give up just yet.

"Well, it doesn't have to be food. We could meet up for coffee before you have to go in."

"Okay, look, the truth is-"

"Captain? Commander Root wishes to speak with you." Artemis had quickly gone up to them and interrupted. Holly looked over surprised but nodded. They started walking away and she turned to him.

"You didn't need to help me."

"I was actually helping that poor chap as well. I have no doubt you were about to tell him that you wanted nothing to do with him and hurt his feelings."

Holly glared at him. "You didn't need to help anyone. I can handle it. I'm used to it."

Artemis smirked. "You can handle it?" Holly was just about to nod when Artemis turned back and walked over to where the elf was still standing. It took Holly's brain a minute to register what he was doing and by then it was too late. She watched as the officer grinned and turned to her.

"I'll pick you up at eight then Holly." He hurried off, leaving Holly standing there. She balled her fists and went up to Artemis.

"Fowl…I should bash you head right now. I'm not going."

"Of course you are. You don't want to hurt the poor guy's feelings, do you? Besides, you could use a nice relaxing meal."

Artemis smirked wider and walked away. Holly stood there fuming, watching him go. Artemis continued in the direction he assumed Foaly would be in. He finally had to stop and ask a fairy cleaning the floors where it was. He followed the directions he had been given and finally reached the booth. He pressed the button on the intercom.

"Foaly?" There was a second of silence.

"Fowl? What do you need?" Foaly's voice came through the speaker.

"Holly and Captain Kelp are going to investigate one of the places where a fairy was kidnapped for me. But I need to be able to talk to them while they're out there."

Foaly hesitated. "Technically, I'm not supposed to let you come in here…I guess just this once. Hang on."

"Thanks Foaly."

Foaly buzzed him in and Artemis walked in to find him sitting in front of a rather large computer. It was just one of many in the room including some other things. There were various gadgets, wings, and other inventions around the booth. Foaly swirled around to face him.

"So, have you found anything out yet?"

"Possibly." Artemis unrolled the map to show him.

"They're all in West Haven." Foaly pointed out immediately.

"Yes and most of these take place in alleys where the only way to get out is the way they came in."

"Except that they aren't coming out." Foaly said.

"Exactly. Which is why I sent them to investigate. However it is they're getting away, will more than likely lead to where the missing fairies are. I doubt they're dead because you would have found bodies if they were."

Foaly nodded. "Did you see any connection between those who are missing?"

"No. My guess it is just random fairies, or else some might have been taken from their homes. Although, whoever it is behind this, may have a grudge against the LEP."

"That's what I thought too, because most of them were officers."

"Yes and I may have a plan as far as finding out where they're being taken."

"Really? What-" Foaly was interrupted by his intercom.

"Hey Foaly, let us in." They looked over at the screen, viewing outside the booth, and saw Holly and Trouble standing there. Foaly went over and pressed the button to talk back.

"A please would be nice."

"Pony boy, if you don't open this door, my boot is going to connect with your hairy behind." Holly said and smiled sweetly at the camera.

"Now that's not very nice Captain." Artemis said and Holly and Trouble both looked at the speaker box in surprise.

"Fowl? Is that you?" Trouble asked.

"Of course."

"One of you better open this door right now and both of you have some explaining to do." Holly said to the intercom. Foaly kept his finger on the button to talk.

"We are so underappreciated." He said to Artemis.

"Yes, and poorly treated." Artemis agreed.

"Foaly…Fowl…" Holly warned.

Artemis grinned. "Oh alright Captain. But only because it's you."

"Fowl, I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I still owe you." She said dangerously. Foaly turned to Artemis.

"What did you do?"

Artemis smirked. "Nothing, she said she didn't need my help getting rid of some guy who was asking her out. So tonight she has a date."

Foaly grinned. "Holly, what are you going to wear? Can I take pictures?" Holly's face took on a color very similar to Root's own face. Trouble started laughing and Holly turned to him. "Uh oh. I guess we better let them in before Trouble gets hurt." Foaly said and buzzed them in. Artemis stepped aside to allow the two Captains in.

"Foaly, why is Mud Boy in here?"

"Really Holly, I have a name you know."

Holly ignored him. She sat down on the only couch and Trouble sat down next to her. Artemis stood opposite them next to one of the computers.

"If you must know, we were talking." Artemis said to her.

"Oh, so you two are good friends now?" Holly asked sarcastically.

Artemis smirked again. "Jealous Captain?"

Holly ignored him once again. "Foaly, Root's going to have a cow when he finds out you've let him in here." She said and then added, "Which is probably why you did it."

"Artemis said he needed to be able to talk to you two. I thought you were going out to investigate."

"We are, but my helmet isn't working right." Trouble said, handing it over to Foaly.

"What'd you do to it?" Foaly asked.

"Nothing." He said. Foaly looked at him disbelieving. "Fine, I may have spilt some apple juice on it." Trouble admitted. Foaly glared at him and started mumbling about how LEP officers needed to become more responsible.

"I'll fix it later. For now, take this one." He said to Trouble and handed him a different helmet. Trouble studied the new one and Foaly grinned proudly. "It's one of my newer models. You'll be the first to test it out. You'll notice there are a few new additions to it."

Trouble held the helmet up, admiring it. He put it on and grinned. "Holly, you got to see this." He said excitedly.

"No thanks, I'll pass." Holly said and Artemis found he had been watching her. Frustrated with himself, he turned and studied a computer screen. Foaly pulled out another new helmet and handed it to Holly.

"Here, both of you try these out and let me know what you think. I highly doubt you'll find any problems with it." Foaly told them, smugly. Holly shrugged and turned to Artemis, who was now lost in thought.

"So you want us to check the latest one right?" Artemis didn't seem to hear her. She frowned and walked over to him. His eyes were spaced out, not really seeing the screen. "Artemis?" She watched as he looked down at her, surprised. "Weren't you listening?" She asked him.

"Sorry, no, I was lost in thought I guess." He said. He had an unreadable expression and she puzzled over it for a moment.

"I was asking if you wanted us to check out the latest site."

"Oh, yes, that's fine. Any of them will do."

"Okay, then we're going." Holly turned and led Trouble out of the booth. They were on their way out of the building when Holly noticed that Trouble had stopped. She turned and found him talking to the secretary in charge of watching the door. She was a pixie and Trouble was flirting with her. Annoyed, Holly went back and grabbed his arm, none to gently. "Let's go Kelp. We have a mission to complete." She said, dragging him out the door. When they were outside, she let go of him.

"You could have left me for one more minute. I think she was actually going to say yes for a date." He whined.

"You can flirt with her when we get back. We have a mission."

Trouble snickered and raised an eyebrow. "So, you're taking orders from a Mud Boy now?" He asked teasingly.

"I don't take orders from anyone, except Root." She stated, then added, "Besides, he didn't order us, he asked me to go and look. I could have said no if I wanted."

"But you didn't" Trouble pointed out, still smirking. Holly glared at him.

"Is this pick on Holly day? He's a genius. He gives us the plans and we carry them out, like we always do."

Trouble knew all this, but was purposely trying to antagonize her. "So basically, he makes you do all the dirty work?"

Holly growled at him. "Kelp, you're getting on my last nerve right now. For your information, he does not leave all the dirty work to us all the time."

Trouble looked genuinely shocked. "Really?" Holly nodded and turned to keep walking. Trouble ran to catch up. "Okay, give me an example."

Holly was silent, and then said, "Well, when he helped us with the goblin uprising, he snuck into the room where all the goblin generals, Koboi and Cudgeon were and was able to save everyone. Then, when we had to get that C Cube from Spiro, Artemis let himself be captured so we could get in." Holly had told Trouble a long tome ago about all of her adventures with Artemis. Very few people knew about the C Cube incident, but Holly and Trouble were good friends and told each other almost everything.

"Okay, so he doesn't leave all the dirty work for you. But now you're defending him." Trouble was really enjoying this. Holly bristled.

"He's my friend. I defend all of my friends, including you, although at the moment, I'd say you would be on your own." Holly stated and then realized what she had said. She did consider Artemis a friend. She thought she always had, but had lately been questioning it. Trouble smiled at her.

"Okay." He said and kept going. Holly stopped dumbfounded.

"That's it? You pick on me and argue all the way here and you just drop it like that?" She asked incredulously.

"Yup." He said simply. Holly sighed.

"I need a holiday. A long holiday." She said. Trouble laughed and they continued on. A few minutes later they reached the area where Chix Virgil had been taken. They both put their helmets on and walked into the alley. "Okay, we're looking for an alternate escape route." Holly told Trouble, who nodded.

"See if you can find any clues as well." Artemis said in the speakers.

"Alright." Holly and Trouble split up, combing through every inch of the alley. It was a dead end, but they already knew that. After awhile, Holly and Trouble had looked everywhere but found nothing. "Sorry Artemis, but there's nothing here." Holly said into her helmet.

"There's got to be something. The exit will be hidden." Artemis paused and fell silent, and Holly knew he was thinking.

"There's only a bunch of junk here." Trouble said, kicking a bag of garbage.

"Wait, do that again." Artemis said to Trouble. Trouble looked confused, but shrugged and kicked the bag again. This time, the bag moved a few feet, revealing a metal disc in the ground. Holly gasped and then grinned. Together, her and Trouble lifted it up and looked down into the darkness. Holly turned on her high beam. It was a sewer entrance and there was a drop of about six feet to the bottom. Holly was just about to jump down but Artemis stopped her. "Holly, wait! Don't go down there just yet."

"Why not?"

"Because it may not be safe and we don't know which direction they went in. They could have set a trap in case anyone tried to follow." Holly frowned. He was right. She hadn't been thinking and almost made a costly mistake.

"Okay, so what now?" She asked.

"You two can come back. I need to do some research." Artemis said and Foaly's voice came through next.

"Yeah, and Holly, you need to get ready for your date." Holly didn't even bother to retort, she just cut the connection. Trouble didn't and could still hear the two geniuses.

"Artemis said that wasn't very nice." Trouble told her. Holly glared at him and he chuckled. They were in the process of putting the lid back over the sewer entrance when they were shot at. The first shot hit the wall near Holly's head, but the second one hit Trouble in the leg. They both dropped the lid, as Trouble collapsed, holding his leg. Holly immediately grabbed him and pulled him behind one of the larger boxes. She pulled out her gun and began shooting at the entrance of the alley. There was a single fairy, firing at them. Holly had to keep ducking as the shots came extremely close to hitting her. She managed to hit his gun, knocking it out of his hand. The fairy yelped and grabbed the gun before taking off. Holly jumped out from behind the box and ran after him but by the time she got out of the alley, he was already lost in the crowds. Cursing, she walked back to where Trouble lay.

"You alright?" She asked, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah. Just give me a second." His magic was already healing the wound on his leg and after a minute he was able to walk. They began making their way back to the station, each keeping an eye on those around them. Holly connected back to Ops.

"Foaly? Artemis? Did you two see that?"

"Yes. I'm assuming that when you lifted that lid to the sewer, you triggered some sort of alarm or motion sensor. Otherwise someone has just been keeping an eye on that alley." Artemis told her.

"Great." She muttered. When they got back to the station, Trouble went back to the secretary's desk and Holly made her way to Ops. She found Foaly alone in there.

"He went back to his room a second ago." Foaly explained when she came in.

"I didn't ask where he was." Holly said.

"You were wondering it."

"What are you? A mind reader?" Holly asked sarcastically.

"No, I just happen to know you really well."

Holly didn't reply to that. She knew it was true. About wondering where Artemis was and about Foaly knowing her real well. Foaly and Trouble had been her first two friends when she had joined the LEP. She didn't have too many friends, but those two had always been there for her. Not sure if it was a good thing or not, she knew that Foaly and Trouble both knew her better than anyone else.

Foaly watched her and then said, "Shouldn't you be going home? It's almost time for your date."

Holly glared at him. "This really is pick on Holly day." She muttered. "I'm not going home. If I'm not there, he can't pick me up." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Foaly grin, but when she looked up, the smile was gone.

"Don't you think that's a little mean?" He asked.

"Hey, I didn't ask to go out. I was tricked."

Foaly shrugged. "Who is it?"

Holly's face scrunched up in thought. "I think his name is Steven."

Foaly raised his eyebrows. "You think? You're going out on a date with him and you don't even know his name?"

Holly rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, like I said, it's not like I asked to go out." She snapped at him. "I can't possibly know every officer's name. The problem is they all seem to know me." She told him.

Foaly nodded. "I don't think there's a fairy in Haven who hasn't heard of you now." he smirked and Holly grimaced.

"I think the Council still blames me for loosing all that gold to Artemis."

Foaly chuckled. "It _was_ a lot of gold." He agreed. Seeing Holly's grim expression, he added, "But it's not your fault. You didn't ask to be kidnapped."

"Yeah, I know, but the Council doesn't see it that way. They see it as them having to pay all of that just to save me." Holly said. Foaly nodded, feeling sorry for his friend. He wasn't too fond of the Council. They were too concerned with gold for his liking.

"But you've sort of made up for it by stopping the goblin uprising." He pointed out.

Holly shrugged. "Maybe. I think I'll go get something to eat now, since I won't be leaving yet." She said as she got up. She glanced over and saw Foaly grin again. He quickly covered it with his hairy hand. She looked at him curiously before walking to the door. She was only a foot out of Ops when she heard someone calling her name. She turned and saw Steven smiling and waving at her. Foaly's voice came from behind her.

"Oops, did I forget to mention he was picking you up here?" Holly whirled around to face the centaur. "Artemis knew you wouldn't go home yet, so he had told him to pick you up here." Foaly explained and Holly turned red with anger and embarrassment. She had let herself play right into Artemis' hands. Was she really that predictable? She didn't think so but somehow that Mud Boy knew her too well or at least anticipated her. Steven came up to her and asked if she was ready.

"I guess so." She said, shooting Foaly an annoyed and helpless look.

"Have her home by twelve!" Foaly called after them and then laughed. Holly rolled her eyes and turned even redder. As Steven led her away, she quietly vowed that she would find a way to get Artemis back. The only problem was, he seemed to have everyone warming up to him, including Foaly. _Well, _she thought, _if he expects me to have a miserable time tonight,_ _which I probably will, I won't give him the pleasure of knowing that. _Tomorrow, when she went in, she would tell him that she had a good time. It would give her some satisfaction to watch his reaction when he thinks his plan failed. Feeling considerably better, she walked with Steven out of the Police Plaza.


	8. Confession

**Authors Note: **This one is a bit shorter than my other ones and not really all that eventful. The next chapter should be a bit better. Thank you to those of you who have reviewed. Please keep it up.It would be nice to get a few more than I'm getting though :)'

**me, obviously: **Sorry about the mistake. I get some of them mixed up. I'll have to go back and change that later. Yeah, I noticed that about Colfer. I think it's really neat but it makes it harder when writing a fic, since I know hardly any plant names.

**refloc: **Hehe, I know, Steven does deserve it, but he won't come into the story anymore. I was writing out the scene with them on the date, but it really wasn't all that good as I figured Holly would be incredibly bored and annoyed. So I decided to just skip that part. Hope it still turns out okay.

**Oozaru Angel: **Thanks, and I know that theres a lot of people that don't like them together, I used to be the same way, but then I got used to it and liked it. But I tried not to make it to big of a thing, so I guess we'll see how it turns out.

**jeweljade:**The fairy was someone working for who's behind the kidnapping. I won't say who it is yet. That will come later on.

And thanks to **Sweetdeath04 and RaevanDawn.**

**Chapter 8: Confession**

The next day, Holly walked into Police Plaza, trying to look happier than she felt. She went to check in with the Commander first before heading over to her desk. She had a few reports she needed to get done by the end of that day. Paperwork was one of the very few things she hated about her job.

Just as she finished her first report, she looked up to see Artemis. But he wasn't alone. He was walking with Lily Frond. Holly froze and watched them. Holly suspected the Corporal was flirting with the Mud Boy but was surprised to see it was vice versa.

Artemis would say something and Frond would burst into a fit of giggles. Holly frowned, wondering what he could possibly have said that was so funny. Holly tried to turn back to her desk, but still watched the two from the corner of her eyes. Frond began giggling again, causing Holly to glance over again.

Why did she care so much? The Mud Boy's business was none of her own. It shouldn't bother her to see him talking to the Corporal, even if she was a slut. But for some reason, she hated Frond even more now.

Holly sighed, irritated. She couldn't concentrate on her work anymore. She saw Artemis look in her direction. He said something to Frond and the two of them headed over towards Holly. She groaned and tried to look like she was busy.

"Good morning Holly." Artemis said. Holly looked up and put on a fake look of pleasant surprise.

"Oh hi. I didn't see you come up." She lied. "Shouldn't you be working on the case?" She asked, not looking over at Frond.

"Yes, in fact Corporal Frond-"

"Lily." Frond cut in, smiling sweetly and throwing her loose hair over her shoulder.

"_Lily_ was just showing me to the supply room, I needed some paper." Artemis continued. Holly opened up one of her drawers to her desk.

"Would a notebook be okay?" She asked, pulling one out.

"It would." Artemis took it. "Thank you. Oh, how was your date last night?" He asked.

Frond looked over at her surprised. "_You_ went out on a date? Maybe there's hope for you yet Captain." Holly glared at her and was surprised to see Artemis do the same. Frond continued, unaware of the looks. "Who was it?"

"I find that none of your business Corporal." Holly said coldly.

"It must have been someone you're to embarrassed to mention then." Frond said innocently. Holly took a deep breath to calm herself down. Artemis looked about ready to say something but seemed to think otherwise, preferring to see how Holly handled it. He wondered if she would continue to ignore the Corporal or give into her bait. She gave into the bait, for some reason disappointing him. He knew she was stronger than that, so why was she letting the Corporal get to her?

"For your information, it was Steven Fern." Holly told her. Frond's eyes widened in surprise.

"Not bad Short."

"_Captain_ Short." Holly corrected, still watching her hatefully.

"Right. Captain. Well, I need to get back to work. You let me know if you need anything Artemis. I'm sure I could help." She said flirtatiously, looking up at the genius. Artemis tried to look flattered and smiled. Holly still glared at her as she walked away.

"Bimbo." She muttered none to quietly. Artemis grinned. "I suppose you're going to tell me that wasn't very nice." Holly said testily, turning back to her desk.

"Actually, no. I was going to say she deserved it." Artemis replied. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh."

Artemis smiled and turned and left. Holly watched him go, feeling confused. The Mud Boy had been flirting with Frond a minute ago and was now agreeing with Holly's choice of words. Going back to her work, her mind still went over Artemis and why she had gotten so mad to see him flirting. She knew that Lili Frond went after every guy she saw, although usually only the ones she considered cute. But normally it didn't bother her that much. Truthfully, she wasn't surprised that Frond would go after Artemis. There was no use denying that he was good looking now, as much as she may hate to admit it. But just because she thought he was handsome, that didn't mean she liked him. If that was the case then why did she get so mad a minute ago? Sighing, she put her pencil down and got up, realizing she wasn't going to get any more work done. She decided she would go and see Foaly. He could help take her mind off Artemis, but would probably badger her with questions about her date. The date hadn't been all that bad, in fact, had Holly not been so sure and determined that she would be miserable the whole time, she would have enjoyed it. But her mind had been elsewhere and she had been extremely bored. No doubt Foaly would never let her live this down as soon as he found out. Oh well. It would have to happen sooner or later and she preferred sooner to get it over with.

Artemis sat at the desk in his room, comparing two maps. One was the one where he had marked the places fairies had been kidnapped. The other was a map of Haven's underground (or under Haven anyway) sewage tunnels. There was an entrance to the sewer at every site where someone had gone missing. He had been studying the maps for a few hours now, occasionally jotting down ideas or notes on the notebook that Holly had given him. He was looking for places or exits where all the marked tunnels met in common. So far, he had narrowed it down to about ten various locations. What he had done was took the entrances where fairies had gone missing, and had used all of those tunnels to see if they had exits in common. There had been many exits, but he had eventually lessened them. It was a shot in the dark and he knew it.

Sighing, he stood up to stretch. There had to be some way of discovering where the missing fairies were going. It was already the afternoon and he hadn't eaten yet. He didn't feel like eating in his room again. So, he headed for the cafeteria. He was just about to the door when it opened and a grumpy looking Mulch came out. His face brightened a little when he saw Artemis.

"Oh good, you're here. That chef guy didn't believe me when I told him I was with you. He tried to give me a greasy bean burrito." Mulch's face screwed up in disgust. "So you think you can talk to him for me?" Mulch asked.

Artemis shrugged. "I suppose." They both went in and headed over to where Johnny was. When Johnny saw Artemis, he nodded greeting.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite customer. What can I get you this time?"

"I think I'll have the chicken. My friend here will have the same." Artemis said and the sprite disappeared into the kitchen, only to reappear a minute later with two trays. He handed one to each of them and Artemis thanked him. Artemis and Mulch picked a table and sat down. Mulch took a bite of the chicken and grinned.

"Thanks Arty."

"Your welcome." he took a bite of his own chicken. He turned his attention to others around him. There were two elves sitting near them, but Artemis couldn't understand what they were saying. They were speaking Gnomish, and though he could read and write it fluently, he couldn't speak it. He decided he needed to learn to speak it, but didn't want to ask anyone to help, at least not Mulch or Holly. To embarrassing. They would never let him live it down if he came crawling to them for help. Maybe Trouble could help. He could just ask for a translator, but then he wouldn't be learning the language. Although, right now he should be concentrating on finding the missing fairies. Mulch finished his chicken and the side dishes first and sat there rubbing his stomach, satisfied. Artemis was only half way through when he looked up and groaned. Mulch followed his gaze and his eyes widened. Corporal Frond had just walked in and was looking around.

"Don't come over here." Artemis muttered.

"Why not?" Mulch asked, still watching the Corporal. Artemis groaned again as she looked over and saw him. She waved and began making her way over to their table. "Fowl, I don't know how you do it." Mulch said grinning.

"What?"

"Get good food and all the girls. And you were supposed to be the bad guy."

Artemis smirked. "Well, you can have _that_ girl."

Mulch grinned wider and shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Hi Artemis." Lily said, coming and standing right next to him.

"Hello." He said politely. She took the seat right next to him and scooted very close to him, making him feel uncomfortable. Mulch watched amused, feeling just a little jealous. Girls never swarmed over him like they seemed to for Artemis. What was more was Artemis didn't even want that attention. Mulch saw Holly walk in, look their way and walk out again. A plan formed in Mulch's head.

"Artemis, I'll leave you two alone for a minute." Mulch had to hide his grin when he saw Artemis look up sharply.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." He said, keeping his voice leveled. But Mulch still saw the warning in his eyes, but pretended he hadn't.

"I know, but I'm going to go get something to drink."

"There's water right here." Artemis said.

"I feel like juice." Mulch said and headed toward the exit. He could feel Artemis glaring at him and chuckled to himself. He got into the hallway in time to see Holly just about to turn the corner. "Holly!" She stopped and turned around, looking at him quizzically. Mulch hurried to catch up. "How come you didn't come over?" He asked innocently, as if he didn't know the answer.

"Lost my appetite." She said simply. Mulch didn't believe her but ignored it for the moment.

"I think Arty needs your help."

She raised an eyebrow. "With what? He's got Frond there."

"Yeah, that's the problem." Mulch told her. Holly looked surprised.

"He doesn't want her around?"

"Are you kidding? He was basically pleading for me to stay there." He grinned and Holly smirked. They walked over to the door and peeked in. Frond was flirting with Artemis and playing with his shirt collar and Artemis was doing very little to stop her.

Holly snorted. "Mulch, you're full of it. He doesn't need any help. Look's like he's got everything under control." She said, disgust filling her voice.

"No, trust me. Artemis doesn't like being rude, at least lately. Recently, he's been acting strange. He isn't so snappy or careless of other's feelings. Just go in there and say Captain Kelp needs her…and I'll escort her there." Mulch said and Holly glared at him.

"Now I know why you're suddenly so concerned with him." She snapped. She was tempted to go in there anyway, but the thought of revenge was just as tempting. She owed the Mud Boy for sending her on that date. But Steven hadn't been _that_ bad and leaving Artemis with Frond was just cruel. She was very tempted to leave and probably would have had Artemis not seen them at that moment. He waved them over, meanwhile straightening out his Polo shirt. Holly saw Frond make a face but ignored it. Sighing, Holly and Mulch headed over there. If Holly hadn't known Artemis all that well, she would have missed the look of relief on his face. Mulch sat down in his seat and Holly sat on the other side of Artemis. She looked over to Frond.

"Corporal, Captain Kelp was looking for you. He said something about you have traffic duty right now." She lied. She knew once Frond went to Trouble, he would knew she had lied but also knew that Trouble would cover for her and actually send her out on that traffic duty. The corporal looked disappointed but got up. She whispered a 'goodbye' into Artemis' ear and then straightened up. She was just about to walk away, when Mulch got up and offered to 'escort' her there. Frond smiled and accepted.

Once the two were gone, Artemis turned to face Holly. "Traffic duty?"

Holly chuckled. "Trouble will stick her there when he finds out I sent her."

Artemis nodded and began finishing the last of his food. He offered his bowl of corn to Holly and she accepted it. "You know, you never answered my question." Artemis informed her.

"What question is that?"

"How was your date last night?"

"Oh, it was great. I had a lot of fun with Steven." It would have been convincing had she not avoided his gaze so determinedly, so he knew she was lying.

"Good. I figured you could use a night off. Are you going out with him again?" He asked, watching her.

"I'm not sure." She said, still not looking up at him.

"You're not going to give me details? Or thank me for setting you up with him?" That did it. Her head snapped up and she glared at him. He chuckled.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" said Artemis, confused.

"What about you and Frond?"

"Oh, changing the subject a bit aren't we?" He was still watching her. She seemed determine to make him think she had had a good time on that date. _Well, two can play that game, _he thought. Holly didn't say anything, just waited for his answer. "Well, what is there to tell? She's pretty and very nice." Artemis did his best to sound convincing. The truth was he detested the Corporal. Anyone who went around flaunting off their body and flirting with guys she doesn't even know, was not okay with him. He had never had the time or interest for girls. But he assumed that he would eventually and it would be someone he respected. But if Holly was going to lie, then so would he. He studied Holly's face for a reaction, and was surprised at the one he got. Her eye's flashed with annoyance and a little bit of anger, but she said nothing, instead choosing to continue eating her food. Artemis frowned and put down his fork. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Nothing."

"Something is. You're frustrated at me today."

Holly was silent so Artemis waited. "How do you do it?" She finally asked.

"Pardon?" He was confused again.

"It's like you can read into everyone's minds. You seem to know more about people then they do, and yet you're so mysterious. You don't give away any of what you're thinking or feeling." She said.

"I happen to be good at psychology. In fact, almost all of the psychologists that I've ever gone to, quit their jobs after only one meeting with me." He said and Holly chuckled. She could imagine it. "But if you want to know, you can usually tell everything you need to know by their eyes." He continued. Holly looked up at him. "I've learned that a person's eyes always betray them, more so than their words or actions." He said, still looking at her.

Holly shuddered under his intense gaze. She looked into his eyes but couldn't read them. "Your eyes don't give anything away," She said, still staring into those deep blue eyes.

Artemis smiled. "Just like I've become good at reading people, I've also become good at concealing anything that might give myself away. Although, quite a few times lately, I've found it's harder." He admitted.

_Because he's been experiencing all those emotions lately, _Holly thought. She nodded. "Okay, since I can't see what you're thinking, why don't you tell me?" She asked, the corners of her mouth starting to turn up.

Artemis raided an eyebrow and thought about it. "Fine, then I'll be honest." He said and Holly could now see the amusement in his eyes, not even trying to hide it. He leaned in to whisper something, making it look like a big secret. "In truth, I detest Corporal Frond." He sat back up and Holly stared at him in shock before starting to laugh.

"So, which is it? Do you like her or no?" She asked.

"No, I don't like her. I can't stand women who are that…forward." He told her, taking a sip of his water.

"Oh? And what kind of women do you like?" Holly asked, watching him carefully. He thought about it.

"Well, I like women whom I can respect. She has to be at least of normal intelligence. Truthfully, I've never really given it much thought."

"Come on. You had to have pictured the 'perfect girl'" Holly said and Artemis didn't say anything. "Okay, what about the attitude?"

"Well, I suppose mature, but maybe not serious all the time."

"Okay, so far it's someone you respect, average intelligence, and mature but still has a good time." Holly was counting them off on her fingers. But before she could continue with her questions, in which she was enjoying finding out about Artemis' dream girl, he asked her a question.

"Okay Captain, what is your perfect guy?"

Caught off guard, Holly hesitated for a moment. "I don't really know. I'm not all that picky. I suppose I just want someone who will love me for who I am. I know it sounds cliché and everyone says it, but I don't want just any guy that would leave me for the next pretty girl he sees. One that would truly love me and go to any lengths to prove it." It felt extremely weird admitting all that, and to Artemis of all people, and was immediately embarrassed. But for some reason, it had all just come spilling out of her. She saw Artemis make a strange face and figured she knew what it was about. "Do you think it's possible to find true love?" She asked.

The question must have surprised Artemis and it was his turn to be caught of guard. After thinking about it, he said, "I believe that there is a certain affection people have for one another and love is the word they use to describe that affection. But when you say true love, then, no, I don't. It doesn't take a genius to know the nature of people. Most marriages end up in divorce."

Holly shook her head sadly. "Typical genius response. You think that everything that happens has to have scientific proof."

"Not necessarily-"

"It's because you're not used to experiencing emotions. You'll feel differently when you fall in love. Even _you_ have a chance at love." She said, somewhat teasingly.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Artemis asked, irritably.

"Artemis Fowl: Only cares about himself and gold."

"If that's the case, then you were lying yesterday?" Artemis smiled, as Holly looked at him confused. She was just about to ask, but he interrupted. "What did you think of Foaly's new helmets?" Now Holly looked even more confused and Artemis fought to keep control of his facial features. "Foaly was explaining the features on them. Apparently there is a voice activated microphone on the outside of the helmet." Realization began to dawn on Holly's face. "The microphone is sensitive enough to pick up the littlest sound, and can easily record an entire conversation." Artemis was pleased to see Holly blush once she knew what he was talking about.

"The _entire_ conversation?"

Artemis nodded. He could see she was embarrassed and afraid of his reaction. He knew she figured he would make fun of her but he had no intention of doing so. "Thank you." He said simply. Holly looked like she was about to fall from her chair. "I think you gave me more credit than I deserved, but…thanks."

When Holly recovered, she instinctively put her hand on his arm to comfort him, surprising herself and Artemis. He looked at her curiously. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. His pale face colored a little. Holly smiled and got up. She didn't say anything, but just left. Artemis stared after her, still speechless. He had felt something when she had touched him, like a jolt that ran through him. Artemis was extremely surprised to find that he was disappointed she left. He had also made a fool of himself and she had left before he could redeem himself. He had only been speechless very few times now and he didn't like that feeling. Usually his brain provided retorts and words immediately.

He got up and left without bothering to thank Johnny. As he headed toward his room, he found himself thinking of Holly. Frustrated at himself, he tried to focus on something else, but failed. He started muttering to himself, not quite aware that it was out loud. He didn't even realize when he had reached the hallway where the temporary guestrooms were, nor did he see Juliet standing there, watching him, somewhat concerned. Artemis had never talked to himself before. In fact, it was only when she asked him if he was all right that he jumped and saw her. Normally, Juliet would have been amused to see Artemis jump, but now she was too worried.

"Artemis, are you all right? You're talking to yourself."

"Yes I'm fine." He snapped, then said, "Well, no I'm…I just need to be alone to think right now." He turned to go into his room and Juliet reluctantly agreed and let him go. When he was in his room, Artemis turned on the lights and walked over to his desk where he still had everything scattered around. He sat down and forced himself to concentrate on finding the missing fairies, only letting his mind wander to Holly occasionally.


	9. Conference

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all your reviews again. It's getting closer to the end. Still quite a few chapters left, but over half way over. Please keep reviewing.

Thank you to: **Oozaru Angel, jeweljade, IwuvMyKenshyPoo, Sweetdeath04, refloc**and** RaevanDawn**

**Chapter Nine: Conference**

**Police Plaza, Underground Haven**

Holly walked toward the LEP conference room later that morning. Root had called a meeting to get an update on what all Artemis had found out. She reached the room and found everyone already there, waiting for her. Artemis sat at the head of the long table with Root, Foaly, Trouble, Butler, Juliet, and Mulch sitting around it. They all looked a little impatient, especially Root, who was puffing on his cigar, as usual.

"You're late Short. Sit down."

"Yes sir, sorry sir." She mumbled and sat in between Trouble and Foaly.

Root turned to Artemis. "Alright Fowl, what do you have so far?"

Artemis stood up and cleared his throat while unrolling one of the maps. There was a bulletin board behind him and he pinned the map to it. "Alright, I'll get right to the point. Each location marked on the map here, is where a fairy has gone missing. It just so happens that each location is secluded from the rest of the public, meaning mostly alley ways. All but a few of those have only one entrance to the alley and the kidnappers were seen entering the alley with the now missing fairy and none of them came back out. No bodies have been found if I'm correctly informed." He said and Root nodded gruffly. Artemis continued. "Captains Short and Kelp investigated one of the sites for me and found a possible exit." Artemis now unrolled a separate map and put it up under the first one.

"What's that map of?" Root asked, leaning forward to look.

"The sewage tunnels." Artemis answered.

"So you think that's how they're getting away?" Mulch asked and Artemis nodded.

Juliet scrunched up her nose. "Eww, that has to smell."

Holly bit her lip to keep from laughing. Even in the most serious of times Juliet could act, there was no other word for it, blonde. Artemis chose to ignore Juliet.

"Yes and I have found a few tunnels that all twelve of these entrances have in common. By process of elimination, I have found ten exits from the sewer that are possible locations that the fairies are being held. I realize that this may not prove to be accurate but at the moment it's all we have to go by."

"_May_ not be accurate?" Root growled, loosing all patience. The smoke from his cigar filled the air around him giving the impression that steam was coming from his head.

"Commander," Artemis began, in a voice that showed Holly he was trying to keep his own patience. "Do you know that some of the most brilliant minds, including Albert Einstein, as well as others, discovered or proved many things when they originally started with just a theory?"

"I could care less about whoever this Einstein is. I don't want theories; I want actual facts or proof."

"Well, because I have no evidence or proof to work with, Commander, all I have is theories at the moment." Artemis said, his blue eyes were almost like ice and Holly resisted the urge to shiver. Artemis could go from a calm business matter to like a cold vampire in just seconds. Beside her, Foaly smirked, glad to see someone else arguing with Root for a change. "If you like, Commander, you may solve this by yourself and hope that you get your proof before all of Haven goes missing. Otherwise, you can let me help and just go with what I've found so far. Which, may I remind you, is more than you figured out before." Artemis said coldly.

Root and him glared at each other until finally Root backed down. He mumbled something nobody could make out.

"What was that Julius?" Foaly asked, grinning.

"I said he can help. Now get on with it Fowl."

Artemis decided not to gloat but the corners of his mouth still twitched triumphantly. Holly hid her grin by pretending to yawn. Trouble saw her and silently chuckled.

"As I was saying, I have found ten possible locations that may be where they are being held. It is possible that none of these are holding them, but I highly doubt it. More than likely, whoever is behind this is using the tunnels to get the fairies to their hideout without being seen by others. So, we need to do a check on these locations; see if they are abandoned, who owns them, that sort of thing." Artemis looked at Foaly and the centaur nodded.

"I'll get right on it." He said.

"Are there any connections as far as the missing fairies?" Root asked.

"Only that whoever is behind this has a grudge against the LEP."

"Of course." Root groaned.

"It's just a suspicion, seeing as though more than half of them are officers." Artemis said. "Regarding that subject, I do have a suggestion though." He added, looking at Root, who asked, "What?" Artemis said, "I think it would be wise to stick some sort of locator on all LEP officers. I assume whoever is behind this, dismantled the other's locators or you would have found them by now."

Root grunted. "You're asking me to put more of my officers in danger, just so we can find the others?"

"No, I'm not asking you to have your officers go out alone in alleys, holding a sign saying, 'Take Me.'" Artemis snapped coldly. Then, once he had cooled down, he continued. "I'm merely asking that you use some other locator that they don't know of. That way, in the event of someone going missing again, we'll know where to find them. It would be impossible and not wise to stick one on every fairy in Haven because if you were, than the kidnapper would get wind of it."

Roots face by now was a darker red than Holly had ever seen it. She wondered if she should fear for Artemis's safety but he seemed to be doing just fine, besides, Butler was right next to him, so it was doubtless Root would be able to beat him to Artemis if he were to attempt to strangle him. The only person Holly had ever seen stand up to Root and argue with him was Foaly, who was now watching with rapt attention. But Root couldn't do anything to Artemis and Artemis seemed to know it. Although, something told Holly that even if Root did have jurisdiction over Artemis, Artemis would still not let himself be bossed around. He just wasn't the type of person to take orders from anybody, which was something Holly admired about him. Holly took orders from Root, Root took orders from the council who ruled all of Haven, and the Council abided by the Book. Artemis had a government that made laws for him to follow, but he didn't, choosing instead to be a criminal, as did Mulch. Holly detested criminals and her job was to catch them, so why was she admiring Artemis, one of the most dangerous or previously dangerous anyway, criminals? She figured it was just the fact that it seemed like he had more freedom than she did.

"Fine, stick the locators on everyone." Root grunted. Artemis nodded and turned to Foaly.

"Foaly, do you happen to have anything that may help?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I just got done developing a new type of spray last week. Just spray it on someone or something and you can't even see it or know it's there, as it's unnoticeable by any kind of detector. Unfortunately, it only lasts for about two weeks before I need to spray again. I need to develop a longer lasting one." Foaly informed him.

"Two weeks should be more than enough. Get started on spraying all the officers then." Artemis said. "I'll help with that because you also need to look up those places." Foaly agreed and got up and Artemis followed him out, carrying the maps and notes. Root was next, as he was headed for the door, he barked orders to Holly and Trouble.

"You two gather all the officers and have them report to Fowl and Foaly."

"Yes sir." They said simultaneously Root left and just as the two Captains got up, Juliet said, "Well, that was boring."

"I don't know, I thought Artemis and Julius arguing was quite entertaining." Mulch said grinning. They all laughed.

"I don't think I've ever seen Root get so mad without killing the person. Usually, only Foaly messes with him, and even than he's never gotten that red." Holly said.

"Nobody else besides those two ever dare to argue with old' Beetroot. I got to hand it to Artemis." Trouble grinned.

"I don't think anyone can win an argument with Artemis. There are times when either the look in his eyes or when he smiles is enough to send shivers down my spine." Butler admitted, somewhat surprising them. To hear that even Butler, who had defeated a troll and Retrieval One, (they had no clue what else he had done before, after all, he hadn't been Artemis's bodyguard forever) could get nervous from his young charge, surprised everyone except Juliet.

"Well, I'm just glad he's on our side this time." Trouble said before heading out the door. Holly followed him, leaving two humans and a dwarf who were all incredibly bored again.

Artemis stood outside the Operations Booth waiting for the next person to step up to be sprayed with Foaly's new locator substance. Foaly had instructed him to just spray each fairy all over. He was now in a grouchy mood. It seemed as though every officer that he had sprayed, had asked what the spray was for and Artemis had already explained it at least fifteen times now. When the next officer came up and asked the same thing, Artemis couldn't hold back a groan. Nearby, Holly was ordering everyone into a single file line and heard him. She got up on a chair, making herself Artemis's height and faced the line of waiting officers.

"Alright, listen up, all of you! You are here to be sprayed with a locator substance. This way we know where everybody is at, at all times. Now get into a single file line and stop complaining or just being irritating and it will go by a lot quicker." Holly said, in a commanding voice and a look that was just daring anyone to object. All the officers quickly straightened out into a single file line and hurried to obey her orders. Artemis stared at her, surprised by the outburst. Holly turned and saw him, wide-eyed. She smiled sweetly before getting down from the chair. Artemis watched her walk away until she was out of sight.

"Yeah, she's a beauty alright. But I doubt you have a chance of getting with her, especially you being a Mud Man. There is hardly a guy in this whole building that hasn't tried for her and everyone's been turned down." Artemis looked down to see that the next officer in line had been watching him.

"I have no intention of _getting with her_." Artemis said, his voice matter of fact. The officer gave him a look that said he wasn't buying it. "It's just that I've never seen Ho-_Captain Short_ have an outburst like that, at least not so abruptly." Artemis said.

"Hang around here more often then." The officer said. "Now, are you going to spray me with whatever that stuff is?"

Artemis grunted and quickly sprayed him. After that officer was gone and the next one had stepped up, Artemis pondered his words. _"I doubt you have a chance of getting with her, especially you being a Mud Man."_ **_If,_** and that was a big if, if he did like Holly that way, it was true, even if she liked him back, there was the fact that he was a human and she a fairy. But he didn't like her that way anyway, just as a friend, so he had nothing to worry about. But a small part of him knew the real truth but Artemis refused to consider it.

* * *

Foaly had watched the entire scene from his booth. He had been amused at first but then he soon realized that it was serious. He had noticed Holly's and Artemis's behavior towards each other (at Fowl Manor and the previous day in his booth). He was glad Holly finally found someone to like but it was the wrong someone. Those two could never be together. Besides the obvious height difference and the fact that they were two different species, Root would never allow it, nor would the council. Foaly supposed it was lucky that both refused to admit their feelings. Foaly decided that Fowl himself was okay now; he had always gotten along pretty well with him since Fowl was someone he could have an actual intelligent conversation with. However, he would prefer him back at his manor, away from Holly.

* * *

Artemis finished up the last of the officers a little over an hour later and then headed out to find Mulch. Apparently the Commander wanted Mulch sprayed with the locator stuff as well and was sending Holly to do it. He reached the dwarf's door and knocked.

"Yeah?"

"Mulch, its Artemis."

"Oh, come in." Artemis opened the door to find Mulch lying on his cot. "What can I do for you?"

"Commander Root wants you sprayed with that locator substance. Holly's on her way now."

"D'Arvit." Mulch got up and sprinted toward the door.

"You may want to hide some of those stolen items a bit better than that." Artemis suggested, pointing toward the cots pillow where wallets and keys were spilling out. Mulch grinned and quickly hurried to find a new hiding spot. Artemis shook his head and left the room. He crossed the hall into his own room, leaving the door open. He lay down on top of the bed to rest a minute. He watched as Mulch hurried by his room and he chuckled. A few minutes later, Holly appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, have you seen Diggums?"

"He wasn't in his room?"

"No. I just checked."

"Oh, then no, I don't know where he went." Artemis said. It was in between a lie and the truth; after all he really didn't know where Mulch was going to hide, just that it would be away from Holly. Holly frowned.

"Hmm, I need to give him this locator stuff."

"You can leave it here with me and as soon as he comes back, I'll do it." Artemis suggested.

Holly smirked. "Nice try, but I don't trust you _that_ much."

Artemis propped himself up on one elbow. "But you do trust me some then?" Holly shrugged and came in and sat on the desk chair. Artemis grinned. "It seems we've made some improvement." For some reason he found it fun teasing the Captain, or just argue and be sarcastic with her. It was always interesting.

"Yeah, I guess so." Holly said, smiling. They were silent until Artemis decided to ask what he had been wondering for awhile now.

"Earlier, after you so kindly explained to all the officers why they were there-which caught me off guard by the way," He said and Holly grinned. "One of the officers said that almost every guy in the building has asked you out but you've turned them all down."

"Yeah, but you ruined that when you set me up with Steven last night." She pointed out.

"How come?"

"How come you ruined it?" Holly asked, confused.

"No, why do you turn them all down?" Artemis was still lying on the bed with his head being held up by his hand, facing Holly. Holly was amazed to see him so calm and interested while waiting for her to answer. She pursed her lips, considering what to say.

"Well, because most of the guys here just want to go out with me because I'm the only female Recon officer. You'd think they don't get out of the office much. Most of them I have no clue who they are and they only see me as something to have and brag to everyone else about."

Artemis shook his head in disgust, surprising Holly. Artemis wasn't like other guys and not just because he was a rich genius. Holly found him to be easy to talk to and understanding, once one got past the cold demeanor he usually had.

"Is that why you're so…" Artemis fought to find the best word that wouldn't earn him another punch to the face. Holly found them for him.

"Tough? Or maybe a little violent?" The smile on her face told Artemis that she wasn't insulted. He nodded. "It only added to it. I actually grew up in a rough neighborhood and with all boys, so I learned how to take care of myself quickly. Then, once I came to work for the LEP, it still stuck with me and proved useful." She explained. Holly knew she needed to go and find Mulch, but really didn't want to go. She was perfectly comfortable sitting there talking to Artemis. He was a great listener too. He kept asking questions and Holly soon found herself telling him all about her parents and everything she's had to put up with since coming to the LEP.

After explaining that her parents had died shortly after joining the LEP, Artemis asked her, "What did they think of you becoming an officer?"

"My dad was thrilled since he was a retired officer. My mom wasn't as happy about it. She said it was too dangerous, but she was still proud." Holly thought about her parents and not for the first time, wished that they were still around. She wished that they could have at least made it to see her help defeat the B'wa Kell, so then they would have known that she hadn't failed like so many thought she would. Fearing she might start crying or something, Artemis decided to quickly change the subject. He was still new at this emotion business and had no clue what to do if she started crying.

"So are you an only child then?"

Holly nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's one thing we have in common."

"I suppose so." He said and Holly tilted her head curiously.

"Have you ever wished that you had a brother or sister?"

"Truthfully, I never really considered it. I suppose that if I had a sibling, things would be quite different. Although, I always have been somewhat close to Juliet, and very close to Butler." He said and then asked, "What about you?"

"I think I've always sort of wished I had a sister or even a brother. It's kind of lonely being an only child." Artemis hesitated a short second before nodding. Holly realized that she didn't really know much about him. At least what she thought she had known about him had altered when she saw him the other night at his manor and seeing how much he had changed. Her opinion that she had first created after their first encounter was no longer right. And since she couldn't read him like he could obviously read her and everyone else, she would have to ask and hope he would answer. "So, were you ever lonely?" She asked nonchalantly. Artemis was silent and she figured he was deciding whither to answer. She studied his face and watched as he looked at her and seemed to relent. It was almost as if a barrier had been broken and Holly didn't need to read him to know the answer. His face didn't reveal a whole lot, just a tiny bit of sorrow, along with a little bit of shame at revealing it. It was then that she realized how much that question might really affect him, even for him to show that much emotion. He must have been very lonely. He was a genius and that alone would have kept him away from other kids his age, not to mention his distinct attitude that frightened away and angered many. But thinking about it, Holly guessed that his attitude could have been caused by his loneliness. Suddenly, Artemis no longer looked at all like the cold, calculating, criminal genius. Instead, he looked like a normal teenager who was confused and never had friends to confide in, with maybe an exception of Butler. Without really thinking, Holly moved to sit next to him on the bed. "That bad, huh?" She asked softly. Artemis didn't say anything right away and Holly was now at a loss for words.

"Yes, well, it's none of your concern." He said. Holly was surprised by the coldness in his tone and was thrown off guard momentarily. She sighed, exasperated.

"There's your problem right there. You push away everybody that tries to help you." She stood up and was about to walk out of the room, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"No wait…I'm sorry. You don't have to leave." He said quietly. Holly thought about it and decided that she didn't want to leave anyway. She sat back down on the bed. Artemis's hand was still on her shoulder but she did nothing to remove it.

"Okay, we'll change the subject, but if you ever need to talk, I'm available." She said sincerely. Artemis gave a small smile and nodded, but he doubted he would ever take her up on that offer. They spent the rest of the day just talking about various things, sometimes laughing, sometimes arguing. It was evening when Holly reluctantly said she had to go.

"Oh, okay." Artemis said, feeling a little disappointed. He had actually had a rather fun time just sitting here, talking with Holly.

"I'm going to be heading home, so I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she left for the door.

"Bye." Artemis remained on his bead after she was gone. Not even a minute later, Mulch poked his head in the doorway.

"She gone?"

"Yes, she's gone." Artemis assured him. Mulch came in.

"Thanks for getting me out of that, but you know, you sure kept her in here long enough. I've been waiting to get back to my room for a few hours now."

"Sorry, but I think she forgot about having to spray you."

"Hmm, so what did you two do?" Mulch asked as Artemis got up from the bed to stretch.

"We talked." He said simply.

"All afternoon?" The dwarf smirked. Artemis began guiding him to the door.

"Yes, all afternoon."

Mulch grinned widely. "So that's why you didn't want that Corporal. You already have Holly." Artemis got him outside to the hallway.

"Goodbye Mulch." He said and closed the door in Mulch's face. He heard Mulch chuckle through the door and Artemis shook his head.

* * *

Holly headed down the hall, feeling considerably chipper. She was going to her desk to clean up before leaving. Just as she got there, she heard Root calling her.

"Captain!"

"Yes sir?" She asked, turning around.

"Did you spray Diggums with that locator stuff?"

Holly hesitated for a split second. "Yes sir, earlier this afternoon." She lied. She instantly felt guilty for having to lie to him.

"Good, too bad it only lasts two weeks though." Holly nodded and Root glanced over at her desk.

"What have you been doing today? Your paperwork stack is the same as it was this morning."

Holly cringed slightly. If she told Root that she had spent all afternoon talking to Artemis about nothing pertaining to the case, he would be furious. "I was helping Artemis. He was working on the case." More lies. She hardly ever lied to the Commander. Why was she doing it now? Root nodded, apparently buying it.

"Just don't get too far behind on that paperwork. When is your shift over?" Holly looked at her moon o'meter.

"Half an hour ago."

"Oh, then you should get going. See you in the morning Holly."

"Okay sir. Bye." Root left and headed back to his office. Holly quickly gathered her things and headed home.


	10. Suspects

**Author's Note: **Again, thanks to **me, obviously; IwuvMyKenshyPoo; Sweetdeath04; RaevanDawn; jeweljade; **and **absolute power.** Your reviews are really helping. Please keep them up. Also, please forgive any mistakes you may find in this one.

**Chapter Ten: Suspects**

That night, Artemis had a hard time sleeping. Finally, around midnight, he got up and got dressed. He slipped out of the room, making sure to stay completely silent when walking by Butler's room. The plaza was packed with officers, since night time was the fairies preferred time of day. Not really sure where he was headed, he just sort of wandered around. He stayed away from the front of the plaza, to avoid all of the civilians who were not allowed to see him or know he was there. Some officers would greet him politely while others still glared at him. He just merely ignored them. He soon found himself near Ops. Deciding to see if Foaly was still there, he walked over and pressed the intercom button.

"Foaly, you there?"

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering if you ran a check on those locations."

"Yeah, hold on a second, I'll let you in."

Artemis glanced around. "You sure? I don't want to get you in trouble with Commander Root. He didn't seem to be in the best of moods." The door opened, revealing Foaly.

"It's alright, Julius left a while ago. And he's always like that."

"That's good to hear. I was beginning to think he was only like that when I'm around." Artemis said dryly. He walked in and took a seat.

"Well, I think you may add to it." Foaly said smirking and Artemis chuckled.

"So Foaly, do you ever get any sleep? You've been here all day and you're still here."

"I usually don't need much sleep. I'm always so busy. I'll probably go home in the morning if nothing comes up." Foaly said while typing something on a computer. Artemis nodded. "Right, so what's your excuse for not sleeping?" He asked, not turning around. Artemis shrugged.

"Just couldn't sleep."

"A lot on your mind?"

"You might say that." Artemis said, knowing that was precisely the case. His mind had been entirely too active and had been going over many things, including his afternoon. But he wouldn't admit that. "Did you say if you had run that check?"

"Sure did." Foaly finally turned away from his computer. He pulled out the maps he had taken from Artemis and unrolled them. Artemis leaned forward to see. "First of all, you'll be glad to know I was able to narrow it down further." He started. Artemis didn't say anything, letting Foaly continue uninterrupted. "Three of these we can safely discard. That one," He said, pointing to one of the places marked, "Was destroyed in a fire six months ago. These other two were torn down about three months ago. The owner sold them to the city and they were marked as unsafe, so they were destroyed." Artemis took a red marker from Foaly's desk. He crossed those three off.

"Okay, what about the others?" He asked.

"These three right here; those two are shopping malls and this one is a real estate office. I think we can rid of these unless you still want to check the out...?"

"No, if we have to, we'll look into them if nothing else shows up."

"Okay, I think this next part might interest you." Foaly said, bringing up a file on his computer.

"Indeed? What is it?" Artemis asked.

"Those remaining four are buildings, all owned by the same people. Two are owned by one Oliver Oak, and the other two are owned by his wife, Ivy Oak."

"Really? And what do we know about this Mr. and Mrs. Oak?"

"Well, Mr. Oak has a pretty colorful past. In and out of prison five times, all for numerous reasons; breaking and entering, officer assault-verbal and physical, and some other charges. Our Mrs. Oak has never really been in trouble with the law. However, her father was killed a few decades ago in a gun fight against the LEP. He had robbed a bank, and when the LEP had tracked it to his house, he opened fire, wounding one officer."

Artemis leaned back, satisfied. "Well, I believe we have our two main suspects. They both have motives and grudges against the LEP."

"Yup, and there's more."

"More?"

"These two are somehow quite wealthy. It's rumored that they have their own small mercenary army. It's unknown precisely how rich they are or how they came across this money, but it's obviously enough to pay for their little army."

Artemis frowned. "This may be a bit harder than I originally anticipated."

"Especially since it might end up being an all out war between the LEP and them."

"Yes, I had originally planned on just sneaking in there, but if they hired a bunch of fairies...No matter, I'll have to devise a different plan." Foaly resisted the urge to gulp. He had seen some of Artemis's plans in action. He had no doubt it would work but the plans were usually a bit extreme. "We'll inform Commander Root about this tomorrow morning, unless you already did?"

"Nope, not yet."

"Okay." Artemis stood up to leave but saw the screen where Foaly had been typing when he had first arrived. "What are you working on?" He asked. It was written in Gnommish, which Artemis happened to be fluent in as far as reading it. From what he could tell, it was plans for something."

"It's brainstorm and notes for my latest invention." Foaly said proudly. He raised an eyebrow at the young genius. "Am I right in thinking that you understand Gnommish?"

"You are. At least as far as reading and writing it. May I make a suggestion?" He asked, leaning forward to study the screen.

"Sure, I guess."

"That might not work."

"What do you mean, not work?" Foaly asked, clearly offended.

"You see," Artemis began and soon the two of them were discussing scientific maters that, if Juliet or Holly or even Root had been there, they would have been snoring in minutes.

After about two hours, Artemis left the booth, leaving Foaly with a much better design for his wings. When he got back to his room, he was only a little more tired than he had been before. However, he did not feel like wasting more time trying to fall asleep. So instead, he picked a spot on the floor and sat down to meditate. He needed to think about what Foaly had told him. He also needed to begin to form possible plans. He spent the rest of the night meditating, occasionally jotting down ideas. It was early morning when he finally got up from the floor and stretched. He grabbed a new set of clothes and headed to the back of the buildings where the restrooms and showers are. After taking a long, warm shower (being closer to the center of the Earth had it's advantages, the water was always hot) he changed into his clean clothes and dropped his other clothes off at his room.

Holly would be at work soon. So he headed over to her desk. He wanted to tell her about what Foaly had told him. She wasn't at her desk yet but he figured she would be any minute. He carefully examined the small desk chair and after determining that it would hold his weight, he sat down. Her shift started at seven and it was now a few minutes after. He decided to go through her stuff some more while waiting. But fifteen minutes passed and she hadn't gotten there yet. Frowning, he forced himself not to worry. She had already proven that she can take care of herself after the incident in the alley. But still, what if she had been outnumbered to where she couldn't get passed them? Artemis didn't know what to do so he decided to wait a few more minutes. He found a book in one of Holly's drawers and flipped open to a random page. It seemed the story was about some woman who had fallen in love with some guy. After reading a few pages, Artemis was hooked into it and almost jumped when Holly spoke right next to him.

"Are you in the habit of going through my things now?" She asked, her eyes filled with amusement. Artemis looked over at her in relief, glad that she was okay. However, he was determined to not show he had been worried. He grinned.

"I was waiting for you to get here and grew bored."

"So you decided to read a romance novel? I would never have guessed." Holly said, smirking.

Artemis faked surprise. "This is a romance novel? I never would have known. It struck me as a mystery."

Holly laughed and went along with it. "Really? How do you figure?"

"Well, this lady...Sue, I believe her name was, really likes this guy, but she can't figure him out. He disappears constantly and has a lot of money. Personally, I think he's a thief or a criminal. He certainly is sly and smart enough."

"Leave it to you to turn a perfectly harmless romantic story into a crime story." Holly said, shaking her head.

"I can't help it, it's my nature." Artemis replied.

"See, that's why there's the police, so we can catch criminals like you."

Artemis smiled his vampire smile. "Captain, need I remind you that I have yet to get caught? And I have no intention of being caught ever, either."

"Don't get to cocky Mud Boy."

"Of course not, I would never." He said, managing to sound as if he had been insulted. "You must always play the game as if you hold all the cards but still expect to loose, that way you are never caught off guard and never underestimate your enemy. I made that mistake once and I don't intend to again."

Holly was either getting good at reading his eyes or else the feeling was to strong for him to hid, because Holly instantly knew that he was referring to the lunch in with Jon Spiro and Butler nearly dying for good and she could see in his eyes the regret that he still carried over it. She felt her heart grew heavy at seeing him like that. Before, she had told him that he needed to learn that his schemes usually resulted in getting someone he knew and cared about hurt. Even though it was the truth, it was clear that Artemis didn't need to be told that again. Not knowing what else to do, she put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She was doing this more and more often now, and wondered why it was that she felt the need to touch him. Couldn't she just have said something to make him feel better? She felt him go tense, only to relax again after a second. Artemis cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, the reason I was waiting for you was because I wanted to let you know what Foaly discovered last night."

"What is it?"

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "I'll tell you, but only over breakfast. I'm quite hungry."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "You know, I think you're a little too fond of blackmail."

Artemis stood up and stretched out his legs. "Maybe. I'm just used to getting my own way." He said, smirking.

"Spoiled Mud Boy."

Artemis sighed. "I'm going to eat. You can join me if you want. Then I'll tell ou about our recent discovery." He said, before turning and heading to the cafeteria.

Once he was gone, Holly allowed herself a large smile. Of course she could always just go and ask Foaly, but she was kind of hungry herself. She set her things down at her desk and took off for the cafeteria.

Holly found Artemis talking to the head chef, whom Holly had hardly ever spoken too. Artemis saw her and gave a small smile before waving her over. As she walked over, she saw the chef frown and was barely able to make out what he said.

"Root said you and your friends, meaning the two other humans and the dwarf. He didn't say anything about the Captain. I do need to make a living you know."

Holly watched as Artemis glared at the sprite.

"I believe that watch is enough to buy over a hundred of your best meals, and I don't think Root would be too happy about you getting it." Holly was now pretty much there and could hear easier. The chef gave his most charming grin to Artemis and said, "Of course not. I'll go get you two your food then."

"Thank you." Artemis said, his tone a bit lighter now. The chef left and Artemis turned to Holly.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing. Johnny and I just had a little misunderstanding." He said, smiling, knowing that Holly was still suspicious and that he hadn't answered her question. Before she could pursue the subject, he guided her over to an empty table. He sat down and looked over to see Holly still standing, watching him expectantly. He shot her a confused look.

Holly sighed. "Aren't you supposed to hold out the chair for me and _then_ sit down?"

Artemis grinned and stood up, putting on his most gentleman-like expression and voice. He even bowed, holding a hand towards the chair. "May I offer you, good lady, a seat at my table?"

Holly kept her face straight. "Yes, you may." She slipped into the chair. Artemis chuckled and sat back down.

"Still think I'm not the type to read a romantic book?"

"Yes."

Artemis looked at her, still very amused. "Even after that little show?"

Holly shrugged. "I'll admit it was somewhat impressive, seeing as though I know it's the first time you've ever done it." The corners of her mouth were turning up.

"Okay, if not romantic, then what about just being a gentleman?"

Holly considered it. "I suppose I could give you the gentleman part."

Artemis still had a grin on his face from the joking around. "Alright then, I'm satisfied." He said, turning to find Johnny approaching with breakfast. Holly saw him too.

"So what makes you so special that the food gets delivered to you?" She asked.

"I suppose I just have one of those likeable personalities."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "It must have been a recent development then. I thought you preferred having everyone fear or hate you."

He turned to face her. "Believe me, if I wanted to, I could make you fear or hate me."

Holly believed him. Which made her all the more glad for the change in him. Johnny put the tray on the table and a pitcher of orange juice. Artemis and Holly thanked him and the head chef left. On the tray was a simple enough breakfast, but still looked good. There were eggs, toast, bacon, and fried potatoes. Holly tried some of the eggs and decided to tease Artemis more.

"You know, if you're so close to the chef, you should ask him for some cooking lessons. That way your eggs might taste a little better."

"I thought you liked my eggs." Artemis said, pouting. Having never seen him do that before, Holly burst into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?"

"I've never seen you pout before. You look so..."

"Ridiculous?"

"That's not what I was going to say." She had wanted to say adorable but had caught herself in time.

"What then? Juliet does it all the time and I've always found it annoying."

"So why'd you do it?"

"Looked like fun." Artemis shrugged and Holly laughed again. After a few minutes of eating, she asked, "So...what did you discover?" Artemis told her everything that Foaly had told him. Once or twice, an involuntary yawn escaped him and that was when Holly noticed the bags under his eyes. She hadn't paid that much attention earlier so she ws surprised to see how exhausted he looked. She was just about to ask about it when Trouble ran into the cafeteria and after a moments searching, found them.

"There you two are. I've been looking all over."

"What is it?"

"There's another one missing."

"Who?" Holly asked.

"Corporal Bough." Trouble said.

"D'Arvit."

Artemis stood up. "I think we need to go find Foaly."

"Him and Root are in the conference room. They want us there. I already told the others." Trouble informed them. Holly got up too and the three of them quickly made their way down the hall. They found Butler, Juliet, Mulch, and the Commander already there. As well as Foaly, who was setting up a computer at the head of the room. Root saw them and barked for them to sit down, which they did.

"Okay, now we can watch where our Corporal is being taken." Foaly said, pushing a button and there was suddenly a large map of Haven being projected onto the screen. There was a single red dot moving along the screen but it was faint.

"Foaly, can you hve it switched to the sewer map?" Artemis asked. Foaly typed something and a different screen appeared. This time the dot was stronger.

"So he is in the sewer. He's alone?" Juliet asked.

"We don't know, but even if he isn't we can't tell because he's the only one with the locator." Foaly explained.

"How does that spray work? If it's a spray, how can you tell who it is?" Butler asked, confused.

"And explain it in simple terms please." Juliet added.

"If I'm correct, the spray, once put on a person or fairy, basically records the DNA and sends it back to us along with the normal transmissions, enabling us to know who it is and where they are." Artemis said.

"That's right." Foaly said.

"Now, if only you would talk like that all the time, it would be a lot less confusing." Juliet said and Root grunted his agreement.

"It's not any less confusing for us." Foaly said.

"Yes, it takes longer to rephrase it just because you can't understand it." Artemis added.

"If you guys are done, I think Bough's stopping." Mulch said, bringing all their attention back to the screen. The dot had come to a stop.

Foaly started typing again and then said, "Fowl was right. He's at one of the locations he marked."

"One of the Oak's?" Artemis asked.

"Yup, an old factory."

"Great, now we can go get them." Root said.

"Not so fast Commander." Artemis stopped him.

"Fowl, your job is done. You figured out where they are, now let us go and get them." Root snapped.

"Very well, Commander, I just figured you would want to know about the mercenaries." Artemis said nonchalantly. Holly figured you could fry an egg on Root's face.

"What mercenaries?" He growled.

"Well, I was going to tell you that the two behind this are rich and have a rumored mercenary army. But like you said, that's your department."

Root held up his hands and began strangling the air and Holly knew he would like nothing better than to strangle Artemis. As much as Artemis _was _annoying, she couldn't let that happen right then. He was sitting right next to her so she nudged him in the ribs, none to gently. She felt him flinch and he looked down at her, his face asking 'what?' She leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Try not to get him so angry. He looks like he's about to strangle you." He grinned and she added, "I'm serious." He gave her a quick nod and turned back to the others, his face once again impassive. Foaly was halfheartedly trying to calm down Root, who was pulling out a cigar, meanwhile Mulch was laughing. Even Juliet looked amused but Butler didn't. Finally, Foaly turned to Artemis.

"So, I take it you have a plan?"

"For the most part. I'll need a layout of the building though." Foaly quickly typed something on his computer and after a minute frowned. "Problem?" Artemis asked.

"A minor one. They don't have the blueprints in the council files."

"Isn't there some other way of getting them?" Holly asked.

"As a matter of fact, my locator spray on Corporal Bough should send out a signal enabling me to get the layout."

"Foaly, if that stuff does all that, then it'll tell you that their alive right?" Trouble asked.

"Yes, our Corporal is alive as of right now, but I can't tell you about the others."

Artemis nodded, deep in thought now. Holly, Butler, Juliet, and Mulch saw him and knew not to interrupt. After a few minutes of silence, Artemis had the basic outline of a plan but needed to make it perfect before telling them. Foaly printed off the buildings blueprints for him and he left the conference room to go meditate some more. He stopped long enough to get some tea from the cafeteria and then headed back to his room. After only an hour, he emerged with a plan he figured would provide the best results. The others were still in the conference room and were chatting to pass the time. When he came in, they all stopped talking, letting him begin right away.

"Okay, this plan is not as complicated as the Spiro Needle. It's just as risky though and the situation shouldn't be taken lightly. Commander, I'll need you to have the LEP provide a distraction. There will be two teams going into the building; one to rescue the fairies, assuming they are all still alive, and another to stop the Oaks from escaping. However, the two teams won't stand a chance of getting in unnoticed with all of the mercenaries. They need to be drawn out of the building somehow, which is where you come in Commander. If you consent of course."

Root was silent, considering it. It was indeed risky and it would be putting his officers in danger, but he knew the Mud Boy was right. They had to get the mercs out in order for the others to be rescued and the ones behind it, caught. He finally agreed. "Alright, I'll do it."

Artemis nodded. He knew it had been a difficult decision for the Commander. Even though he had a horrible temper, he respected Root for his loyalty to his officers.

He would never willingly put them in danger and probably risk his life for any one of them. So if he had agreed, it meant that he knew there was no other way.

"Alright then. As far as the two teams; I have a relatively good guess as to where the fairies are being held, after seeing the building's layout. More than likely, there will be cameras and other security devices, but I trust Foaly can take care of them.

"Who's on the two teams? You're not going alone again." Juliet said, her expression saying 'that's final'. Butler turned to Juliet.

"What do you mean again? You didn't stick with him in Chicago?" The two started bickering over it. Artemis ignored them and turned to Holly and Trouble.

"Captain Kelp, I figured you would want to stay with the Commander and the other officers, but if you wanted to be on one of the teams..."

"No, my place is with my team." Trouble said firmly.

"Holly, what about you?"

Holly smiled. "I'm not going to let you go in there alone. You get yourself in to much trouble."

Artemis nodded, but refused to show his relief. He had been hoping she would agree but wanted to give her the option. Holly was an excellent officer and he would feel comfortable facing the Oaks with her there. Butler and Juliet were silent, with Juliet sulking, so Artemis knew Butler had chewed her out about not protecting him properly. He also knew Butler wouldn't like the next part. They were waiting for him to tell them the teams.

"The two teams will consist of Holly and myself on team A and Mulch and Juliet on team B. Before either of you protest, Juliet you are to help Mulch get the fairies out of there safely. You two were on a team together last time and it worked out fine. Butler, I think you would be a greater asset to the LEP."

Butler stood up. "Artemis, we need to talk."

"Very well." Artemis sighed and led the way outside to the hall. Butler closed the door and turned to him.

"Artemis, my job is to protect you. How am I supposed to do that if you go off alone to try and beat the bad guys?" He asked pointedly.

"Well, first of all, I won't be alone."

"Artemis, as much as I like Holly, I don't think she can keep you safe."

"Butler, you need to help Commander Root. He'll need your help more than me."

"The People are not my top priority right now. I want to help them just as much as you do but not at the expense of you getting hurt."

"As much as I appreciate your loyalty to protecting me, old friend, it's really annoying me now." Artemis sighed and Butler chuckled. "Butler, the reason I want you with the LEP is because I know the Commander is worried about the safety of his officers. We all know that they'll be put in danger. Distracting the mercenaries will more than likely be fighting. If you're there, you would be a great help to them by fighting and by motivation them. They'll see that you're on their side and will be reassured." Artemis said and Butler fought to find a new argument. Meanwhile, Artemis continued in a tone that caught Butler's attention. "Butler, I've realized that, though my plans are successful, they usually result in people getting hurt. Holly pointed that out to me after you were shot. I don't think my conscious can take another blow by having LEP officers killed or injured. If you won't do it for them, do it for me, old friend." His voice was almost weary. Butler's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Alright Artemis, I'll do it for you and the LEP. But promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"I promise." Artemis replied with no hesitation. He would do his best, but he could not guarantee that he would walk out of there in one piece. Butler, more than

likely new that as well but Artemis still agreed, if only to make Butler feel a little better. Butler put his hand on the young man's shoulder before guiding him back inside.

When they had first gone out, the room's other occupants started talking and making bets.

"So, who do you think will win?" Trouble asked, trying to sneak a look through the blinds.

"My brother, no doubt." Juliet said.

"Really?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, even though Butler is his manservant, Artemis usually listens to Butler's advice."

"I don't know...I think Arty will." Mulch stated.

Juliet snorted. "Here, I got five Euros in my pocket, willing to wager?"

"You're on." Mulch said, grinning.

"Now wait a minute you two, you _are_ in a police station you know." Root warned, but didn't make a move to stop them. He, too, was curious to see if Artemis would actually give in.

A few minutes later, they came back in. Butler took his seat and Artemis moved back to the head of the table.

"Okay, Team B is in charge of rescuing and getting those who were kidnapped safely out of there. Team A is in charge of finding Oliver Oak and Ivy Oak.

Meanwhile, Commander provides the distraction." Artemis summed up.

"Artemis, who is on Team A?" Juliet asked.

"Holly and myself. Butler will be helping Commander Root."

Juliet groaned and handed over the five euros to Mulch who was grinning. Artemis watched them, confused for only a short second before understanding. He rolled his eyes. He turned to Root and they began discussing when they should leave. It was decided that they would leave in two hours, giving Root enough time to get together all his officers. While everyone prepared to leave, Artemis went back to his room to think about the upcoming mission.

**A/N: **The next chapter we meet the Oaks and they execute Artemis's plan. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Let me know if you caught any grammar mistakes so I can go back and fix them. Thanks.


	11. The Oaks

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for all you reviews, keep it up.

**RaevanDawn: **Holly and Artemis get together, but it isn't anything really major. Nothing more than kissing. I know the romance novel was definately not Artemis, which is why I had him play it off as a mystery. But I figured that Holly might be into those kind of books and since Artemis is there and bored, why not?

**Sweetdeath04: **Thanks

**me, obviously: **I know, Bough goes through a little bit more in this chapter, but not much. If you like Holly/Arty, just wait for the next chapter:)

**jeweljade: **I have microsoft word but it only picks up some spelling errors, not really any grammar mistakes. So I try and do my best finding them.

**StickyWicket: **Yes, they do get together.

**OperaGustus **and **ShadowMagicks:** Thanks

**Chapter Eleven: The Oaks**

Oliver and Ivy Oak had been married for around twenty years now. They hadn't always gotten along, but one thing had always kept them together. Their shared hatred of the LEP. They both had grudges against the Lower Elements Police, Oliver because he was a criminal and Ivy because her father had been killed by them. They had met about twenty one years before, and it didn't take long to figure out that they both wished for revenge.

However, just because they could be considered dangerous, didn't mean that they were smart. In fact, it had taken them those twenty years too come up with, what they thought was a genius plan. This so called 'genius plan' was to keep kidnapping LEP officers until there was no more LEP, then they would rule the city. Of course there were many flaws in this plan, but Oliver and Ivy refused to see them. They were extremely proud of their success so far and figured that soon, Haven would be theirs. In fact, possible the only intelligent move they had made so far was to hire that mercenary army using the stolen money formerly belonging to Ivy's father. This new army of theirs would become their own police force when they ruled Haven. Oliver and Ivy were proud of their army and how they had managed to not leave behind a single clue for the LEP to follow. They would have gone on believing that too, if not for the fact that they had recently caught Corporal Bough. Which is unfortunate for the LEP and Artemis, but by now they're used to nothing going exactly as planned.

But back to Oliver and Ivy. The two elves were sitting in their office, with a tied up Corporal Bough facing them. Ivy sat poised as elegantly as she could in her chair, meanwhile Oliver was getting up to pace. Bough was watching them both defiantly and also wearily.

"One more time, do the LEP have any plans I need to know about?" Oliver growled. Bough still stayed silent, except for an exasperated sigh that escaped him. He had no intention of telling these two anything. Oliver seemed to realize that. He walked over to the door and called for his hired bodyguard, Rodney. Rodney, a dwarf, came in and handed something over to Oliver at his request. Bough watched curiously, and felt the dread begin to creep in. Oliver came back grinning.

"I see you're not so brave now." He said, noticing Bough's worried expression. "You know what this is?" Oliver asked. Bough stayed silent. He knew.

"Tell him Oliver. Get rid of that cocky attitude." Ivy said smirking.

"Yes, Ivy dear. Now, Corporal, this is called truth serum. There have only been a few people who have made this and Rodney was able to get his hands on some. You've given me no choice but to use this on you. It is illegal, but I don't think you're in any position to arrest me." He chuckled. Bough watched as he pulled out a needle and filled it with the serum. As Oliver walked toward him, Bough began struggling to get free, but to no avail. Suddenly, Rodney appeared next to him and held him down. Bough bit his lip as the serum was injected. Oliver watched him for a few minutes before starting the questioning. "Okay, are the LEP planning anything?"

"I don't know."

Oliver sighed. "They don't know who's behind it?"

"Not that I know of."

"There, you see Oliver? You're just being paranoid. They have no clue how to stop us. Right Corporal?" Ivy was smiling triumphantly.

"The LEP are getting help to find out who's behind it." Bough said. Ivy and Oliver both frowned.

"Help? Help from who?"

"Artemis Fowl."

"Fowl? The Mud Boy from a couple years ago?" Bough nodded. "D'Arvit! That human's a genius. He defeated Cudgeon and Koboi. Now what are we supposed to do?" Ivy whined. Oliver sat there fuming.

"If the LEP have Fowl helping them, it won't be long until they find us."

"They probably know now." Bough said.

"What do you mean?"

"They sprayed every officer with a locator."

"Locator? But we got rid of your locator." Oliver said, not fully digesting Bough's statement. Ivy got up to whack her husband on the head.

"He just said, they _sprayed_ a locator on them."

"Really? How did they do that?"

"Never mind how they did! We need to get out of here."

Oliver thought about it. "No, we're waiting right here for them. This is our chance to get the LEP all at once. Rodney, take the Corporal away to join the rest of them."

Rodney did so, glad to get away from his idiot employers.

Artemis sat in front in the passenger seat of one of the LEP shuttles. He had grown quite a bit since last time and his head only avoided the ceiling by slouching down. He examined the helmet in his hands before trying it on.

"Amazing, my head can still fit in one of these." He commented to Holly, who was driving. "Barely anyway." He added.

"Surprising. I always thought you had a big head." Holly said smirking.

Artemis cast a sideways glare at her, but she couldn't see because of the helmet. He wasn't sure if she meant it as being stuck up or just literally have a big head, either way, he took offence to it. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

Holly glanced over at him and snickered. Artemis heard her and took it off.

"I look utterly ridiculous in this." He complained.

"No, you don't." She lied. He glared at her. "Okay, maybe just a little ridiculous." Holly admitted, smiling.

"Can't you just give me an ear piece and an iris cam?" He asked, _almost_ in a whiny tone. Holly thought about it. It was very tempting to torture him and make him keep the helmet.

"I have a different eye color, remember?"

"Yes, but this time, it's not imperative that my eyes match. We're not going in there to deceive them."

Holly thought about it, but she finally relented under Artemis's constant gaze. With one hand still driving, she used the other to reach into her bag. After a minute of fumbling around, she found the vial and tossed it to him.

"Blue?" Artemis asked, shocked. The vial contained an iris cam but instead of hazel, it was the same color as his eyes. Holly smirked.

"Foaly sent those along for you."

"You mean, you were still going to make me wear that ridiculous helmet for no reason at all?"

Holly grinned and Artemis figured that it could easily be compared to his vampire smile. "Oh come on, the helmet doesn't look _that_ bad."

"Maybe not on you. But do I look like the type to go around wearing police uniforms?"

Holly had to admit that he didn't. She was too used to seeing him in his expensive suits and clothes, so if he were to be dressed in anything else...it just looked weird. Plus the fact that it was a police uniform. It would be too ironic. Crime seemed to suit him too well. "Looks aren't everything you know. I'd prefer you to wear the helmet. I promised Butler I wouldn't let you get hurt. At least with the helmet, you'll be a little safer and better prepared."

Artemis considered it. He had promised Butler too. "Fine, I'll take both." He sighed.

"Good, now here's the ear piece. It also has a microphone, so everyone can hear you. It molds into your ear so only people actually looking hard enough will see it." She gave it to him and he placed it in his ear. Foaly's voice came through right away.

"Technical genius centaur to Mud Boy. Come in Mud Boy."

"Really Foaly, can't you be a bit more serious?"

"Just trying to lighten the moment."

"Well, thank you for the attempt. What do you got?"

"I'm already in the building's security center. Piece of pie by the way."

"Piece of cake." Artemis corrected. Foaly ignored him.

"Anyway, as soon as you get there, I'll feed a loop through all the camera's except for the very front where the distraction's taking place. That way they'll think they're all still working fine and won't get suspicious."

"Excellent, thank you."

"No problem. So are you all ready?"

"I'm not sure about the others, but I suppose we are."

"Okay, good luck. I'll be with you all the way. Sort of anyway. I'll be safe in my booth while your lives are in danger."

"Thank you Foaly. I'm not in the least bit nervous now." Artemis said dryly and took the ear piece out for the time being. A few minutes later, they arrived.

"Okay, should I pull around back or what?" Holly asked.

"Stop here for now and wait for the others. As soon as the Commander gets the mercenaries out, we'll sneak around to the side."

It was only a minute longer before Trouble pulled up next to them with Mulch in the passenger seat and Juliet in the back, slouched so she could fit. She was dressed in black sweat pants and a black shirt with her hair tied up. Artemis himself was garbed in a similar outfit that the fairies had somehow provided him. It was a definite switch from his usual attire. They all got out of the vehicles just as a little more than half a dozen LEP shuttles pulled up. Root got out of the first one, as well as Butler and six other LEP officers who got out of the back. Soon, all of the vehicles were unloaded and Root was barking orders. Artemis, Holly, Mulch, and Juliet stood off to the side while the LEP quickly set up whatever they could, including dumpsters and sandbags for them to hide behind while shooting. Butler also helped them with whatever he could. When they were all done and in position, Root and Butler went back over to where Artemis and the others still stood.

"You ready then?" Root asked. All of them nodded.

"So what's your plan Commander?" Artemis asked.

Root shrugged. "Don't really have one. You need a distraction, so we'll get you one."

Artemis clearly didn't like that idea and it showed on his face but he didn't say anything about it. "Well, good luck then." He said before turning to Butler. The two moved off to the side.

"Artemis, be careful. Stay close to Holly. Normally I wouldn't let you carry a gun but this time I think it's okay." He handed Artemis a Neutrino which Artemis took carefully.

"You be careful to, old friend. Try not to be too much of a hero." Artemis said, smiling.

Butler chuckled. "I'll try. What about you? Why are you doing this? Somebody else can go instead."

Artemis thought about why he was doing it. There was no question that he would, but why? He couldn't answer that right then. "No Butler. I have too. Besides, I've already memorized the building's layout and you know as well as I do that if there's anybody that could talk their way out fo trouble or come up with a quick plan, it's me."

"Yes, the only problem is that you get yourself into a lot more trouble because of your smart comments." Butler remarked. Artemis frowned. He had noticed that a lot lately too. he would need to be more careful from now on. "But you know that Foaly could send anyone a map of that place. Are you sure that's the only reason?" Butler knew his charge too well. He could also see the answer written on his face but also saw determination. That's when Butler knew that there was no talking him out of it now. He sighed. "Alright then." They went back over to the others. Butler went over and hugged Juliet. "You be careful too. Remember, your job is to only rescue the others and get out. I don't want you practicing any of your new moves if you don't have to."

"Don't worry big bro. I don't plan on going to look for trouble. But any one who does get in my way...I do have this new kick that I'd like to try."

Butler refrained from groaning. He was definitely beginning to regret not going with them.

"Okay, get going to your positions and I'll let you know when you can go." Root said, ushering the four away. Mulch and Juliet snuck around to one side of the building and hid by the exit there. Artemis and Holly went to the opposite side where there was a fire escape leading up the building. They climbed up only far enough to where they weren't easily spotted from the ground. Both teams settled in to wait.

Once he made sure all his officers were in position, Root grabbed the microphone to the loud speaker and stepped forward. "Oliver and Ivy Oak, you are under arrest for suspected kidnapping of thirteen fairies. Come out with your hands up." He waited a few minutes for any type of response. He got none. He repeated it again and waited impatiently. Finally, he heard and saw all of the roll up doors opening. Possibly a little under fifty fairies walked out, guns drawn. "D'Arvit." Root swore. Trouble was right next to him.

"Oh, that's not that many." Trouble said and Root couldn't tell if he was serious or joking around, so he ignored him.

"Put down your weapons and surrender or we will be forced to open fire." Root commanded.

A pixie in front shot his gun, hitting the sandbag about two feet from Root and Trouble. Trouble quickly ducked but Root didn't. he turned an extremely dark shade of red when she saw some of the mercenaries smirking.

"Sir, I think that means they're not surrendering." Trouble said, smirking too. Trouble was the type that loved action, and Root knew he was anticipating a fight

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Root muttered and then turned to Butler, who was a little ways away, loading his gun. "Butler, try not to shoot to kill." Butler nodded. It would be a little bit harder, but he would try. Root placed his helmet on. "Commander to Team A and Team B. Coast should be clear now."

"Roger Commander." Holly said.

"Roger." The dwarf giggled. Root rolled his eyes and zeroed in on Team A. "Captain...good luck. Be careful."

"You too." And she cut the connection. Root sighed. he wasn't sure if he understood Fowl's reasoning or not, about the teams. Holly and Fowl were constantly arguing, and barely seemed to get along as far as he knew. But then again, those two were the most capable of stopping the Oaks; Holly with her skills with a gun and quick thinking on her feet, and Fowl with his brains. Although, it still didn't make since for Fowl to go without Butler. He would debate about it later, because right then, another one of the mercs fired, nearly hitting him. Refusing to duck and be a coward, he stayed up, paying attention this time and gave the order for his men to open fire.

Both teams, after getting the signal from Root were just about to sneak into the separate entrances when they heard the fighting start. It must have been heard from inside the building as well because ten mercenaries went running out each door. Mulch and Juliet dove for cover, narrowly staying out of sight. Artemis and Holly had been making their way down the fire escape when the mercs had come out. Holly had shielded, leaving only Artemis in sight. Luckily they had been in too much of a rush to spot the human right above them. When they were gone, Artemis let out a sigh of relief and Holly unshielded again.

"That was close." She said and Artemis glared at her.

"They could have seen me!"

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have let anything happen to you. My gun was right here." Holly assured him. Artemis still didn't feel any better but kept climbing down.

"What if more come out?" He asked her.

"We'll have to fight them. We don't have time to wait around all day." They reached the ground and quickly made their way to the door. Artemis opened it and glanced in. Right inside the door was a hallway, empty.

"Ladies first." He gestured for Holly to go in. Now it was her turn to glare.

"Some gentleman." She went in. Artemis smiled and ducked in behind her. She stood waiting for him inside. "Which way?"

Artemis recalled the blueprint he had memorized. "I believe it's to the left." He said and they both walked with their guns drawn. After only a few minutes, they came to a point in which the hall branched off into opposite directions. Holly had been walking behind Artemis, keeping an eye behind them. So when he suddenly came to a stop, she ran right into the back of him.

"Oof! Fowl! Why did you stop?"

"This shouldn't be here." Artemis said, frowning. He had the helmet on, as much as he would have preferred to leave it behind, he had brought it anyway. "Foaly? I think you need to update your data."

Holly cringed slightly when he said that. Foaly didn't like anybody telling him that he was wrong or something was not right with his information or devices.

Foaly snorted into the mike. "I highly doubt it." Artemis looked around so Foaly would see through the video feed. "That's not possible." He muttered. "I just got these this morning. The one on the left shouldn't be there."

"Hmm." Artemis looked around and found a small stone that had fallen from the stone walls. He picked it up and tossed it to the left. Two things happened at once. The stone flew about four feet down the tunnel before hitting an invisible wall and bounced right back. Meanwhile, right after the stone had passed through into the hall, a huge metal gate had come flying down which, had they gone down there, they would have been trapped. Foaly and Holly both muttered, "Oh" Then Holly added, "That was close...again."

Artemis turned to her, eyebrow raised. "Yes, we seem to be having quite a few close calls already. I think we need to take more caution. Especially since I'm sure they're expecting us."

"What?" Holly asked, shocked. Artemis shrugged and headed down the right hallway. Holly growled softly and ran to catch up. "Artemis!" She hissed. He put a finger to his lips to silence her.

"We should be nearing where the Oaks are supposedly." He whispered. They stopped right before turning a corner and quietly peeked around. There were two guards standing outside a closed door. Holly pulled out her Neutrino and set it to stun, gesturing for Artemis to do the same. His eyes widened and he leaned down to whisper to her.

"I can't shoot. Do you really expect me to shoot them? What if I miss?"

"If I shoot one of them, the other one may yell or something before I can shoot him." Holly explained.

"But what if I miss?"

"All you have to do is aim."

Artemis reluctantly did as Holly told him and shot as soon as she counted to three. The guard Holly shot, was unconscious immediately, but Artemis's shot had hit the guard in his arm, so he quickly shot again and he fell. Artemis lowered the gun, somewhat shakily, glad that the Neutrino had only stunned him. Holly ran over and dragged the two of them back around the corner. Artemis still stood there.

"Holly."

"What?" She actually looked a little concerned but Artemis wasn't paying attention to that.

"Don't ever make me shoot anyone again please."

Holly sighed. "Come on."

Artemis seemed to pull himself together and walked over to the door. They were just about to decide what to do when five mercenaries came down the hall from where they had come and another seven or so from the other hall. "Great." Holly muttered and pulled out her gun again.

**Author's Note: **The reason Artemis kind of froze like that after shooting was because I think that it would have been difficult for him to actually shoot someone. I know he has Butler do it all the time, but I know from experience that actually shooting a gun can kind of be hard for some people, so I figured the same would go for Artemis. Plus, in the Eternity Code, when he tells Holly that he's nothing like Jon Spiro because he's a coldblooded killer. Anyway, let me know what you think and send a review.


	12. The Fight and A New Partner

**RaevanDawn: **Yup, there's some HA in this chapter. Some more later on too.

**Sweetdeath04** and **OperaGustus:** Thanks

**absolute power:** Thank you very much.

**jeweljade: **Ya, but he's changed a lot since then, he's not really as cold. Possibly back then, he wouldn't have had any problems. Also, he never actually shot anyone. It's easier to hold the gun and think you could shoot but when it actually comes down to it, it's harder. But maybe it wouldn't have affected him.

**me-obviously: **I'm aHA fan too, I wasn't always though, it's kind of a recent thing. I'm working on another Artemis Fowl fic that has more romance in it than this one.

**miroku-has-darkness:** Ya, I read the fourth book as soon as it came out. I didn't like how he died and I had already had this one written before it came out, so I decided to write it as if the OD didn't happen.

**Chapter Twelve: The Fight and a New Partner**

"Wait a second. The way I see it, we have two options. We fight and hope we don't get killed or surrender and see the Oaks." Artemis said quietly.

"I'd rather fight them." Holly mumbled but lowered her gun. Artemis had hidden his gun when he had first seen the mercenaries coming and Holly noticed that with a little relief. Three mercs stepped forward to take them and Holly said threatening, "I can walk by myself," When they attempted to grab her arms. Instead, they used their guns to push them forward through the door. Artemis watched as the room's occupants looked over in surprise. There was a dwarf and two elves. The female had been sitting at the desk while the male elf had been watching the camera screens.

"We found these two right outside the door. They had knocked out your two so called capable guards." One of the mercenaries informed Oliver Oak. Clearly the mercenaries were only here for the money and could care less how they spoke to their employer. One removed the helmet on Artemis's head and the other took Holly's.

Oliver smiled. "Really? How unfortunate for them to have gotten so far only to have gotten caught." He walked over to them. "You must be Artemis Fowl. I heard you were down here in Haven. I didn't expect you to pay us a visit."

"Oh, well the opportunity was too good to pass up." Artemis smirked.

Oliver's smile never faltered. "Not one of your smartest decisions, eh? I'll admit that I'm a tad frustrated that you got involved. We could have pulled this off without the LEP ever knowing who or what hit them."

"I'm confident they would have figured it out regardless. You were quite careless you know." Artemis said matter of fact.

"Really? Then would you mind pointing out our mistakes? I thought we did an excellent job concealing everything."

"That would be your first mistake. Overconfidence and underestimating your opponent." Artemis said smugly. He got some satisfaction when he saw annoyance on Oak's face already. Meanwhile, Ivy had stood up and walked over to them. She looked him up and down, never once glancing over at Holly.

"Hmm, not bad looking for a Mud Man. It's a shame you decided to align yourself with the LEP. My husband may not see it, but you would have been perfect on our side. Perhaps you still can." She purred, as she stopped right in front of him. Artemis raised an eyebrow and felt Holly go tense next to him. She was going to have to trust him on this next part as he hadn't mentioned anything to her about this part of the plan. He put on his most charming smile that seemed to have worked on Corporal Frond.

"Well Madame, that certainly is generous of you. Although I'm afraid my services can't be rendered that easily. Bribing usually works though. I will forewarn you that your offer must surpass that of the LEP's." He felt Holly's intense gaze on him but didn't look at her, instead watching Ivy who seemed to be considering it. Her husband looked suspicious.

"You would abandon your LEP friends just like that?"

"Whoever said they were my friends? They said they would pay me to find and stop the culprit."

"So you're not loyal to them." Oliver said doubtfully.

"Mister Oak, I am loyal to only one thing-gold."

"I'm not sure I'd want someone who wouldn't be loyal." Oliver sniffed.

Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Coming from someone who has hired a bunch of mercenaries, whose only loyalty and care is their money." He said.

Oliver seemed to be an airhead but his wife seemed to be a little smarter. "Oliver, he already said that as long as we offer more than the LEP, he'll work with us. He's a genius; we have great need of him for when we take over Haven." Ivy said while Oliver considered it this time. Since neither of them were looking at him, Artemis looked over at Holly. She had hardly taken her eyes off him, studying him to see if he was lying or not. As soon as their eyes met, she knew the truth. Artemis quickly looked back to the Oak's. Oliver made his decision.

"Okay, we won't kill you then and we'll work out the costs later. Until then, we don't need you. Rodney, take him and the girl down to join the others for now."

"Wait a minute Oliver. That's Short. I think it would be wise to keep her with us. She may be valuable as well to get the LEP to surrender." Ivy said, finally glancing at Holly. Holly glared at them both and spoke up.

"The LEP won't surrender to you."

"Oh but Captain, Root would do anything to save his precious officers." Ivy said smirking. By then Rodney had come up and grabbed Artemis by the arms. Artemis was surprised by the dwarf's strong grip. He was led out of the room.

Meanwhile, Mulch and Juliet had gotten into the building and were heading down one of the many halls.

"Do they have enough hallways? It's like a maze in here." Juliet complained after passing by a door that she could have sworn she'd seen before. Mulch agreed but stayed silent, concentrating on the map Foaly had given him on the screen in the LEP helmet. After a minute, the centaur's voice came through the helmet and Juliet's earpiece.

"Watch for traps. Fowl and Holly nearly walked right into one."

Mulch gulped. "Fantastic." Five minutes later they reached a staircase going down. "This is it. Come on." He said. Just then a merc guard came around the corner. Juliet saw him first and before the guard could even comprehend that there were intruders, he was knocked unconscious from a kick in the chest. His head hit the wall as he slumped down. Juliet grinned.

"Cool, it works."

Mulch shook his head and went to go down the stairs. Juliet had been dragging the guard to a small closet and suddenly heard a yelp. She turned around just in time to see Mulch sliding down what had been the stair case. It seemed that as soon as he placed his foot on the first step, it had turned into a steep ramp, sending him sliding down the bottom. Juliet heard him crash into the wall.

"Mulch, you okay?"

"Yup, just fine. I only fell down an entire flight of stairs and crashed into a wall head first. Why shouldn't I be okay?"

Juliet watched as the ramp turned back into a staircase. Curious, she tried skipping the first step and went right to the second and was relieved to see that it remained stairs. She reached the bottom to find Mulch standing up and dusting himself. He glared at her.

"How did you do that?" He demanded.

"Oh, I just took every other step down." She said as if it was the most obvious thing. Mulch started mumbling something and then led the way down a smaller hallway. At the end, there was a locked door with another guard, who was soon unconscious as well. Mulch didn't even bother checking him for keys. He picked a hair from his beard and after carefully sticking it into the keyhole, he plucked it. The single hair instantly went stiff, assuming the position of the key. He gently turned the hair and the door opened. He grinned proudly before walking in, Juliet right behind.

There were the thirteen fairies, all tied up along a wall. One of two of them let out an "eep" when they saw Juliet. Mulch looked around and saw Bough sitting closest to the door. The Corporal recognized both of them and looked relieved. Mulch and Juliet set to work untying everyone and while they did so, Mulch explained what was going on outside. Juliet was very tempted to leave Chix tied up when he started flirting with her before she had even gotten to him. She reluctantly let him go but made sure to keep her distance from the sprite, lest she got annoyed enough to try another one of her wrestling moves on him. They led the fairies out of the dungeon and to the staircase. Juliet carefully explained how to get up and almost all of them managed without falling. Only Bough lost count of every other step and ended up sending five of them back down to the bottom. They left him to go up last and he was able to get it right the second time.

Mulch and Juliet led them to the exit of the building. They were almost there so Mulch turned on the connection to Team A. Just as he did so, somebody's voice came through.

"...take him and the girl down to join the others for now." Mulch listened as Ivy told her husband that they need Holly and he frowned.

"Stinker! You lead them all out to the front. I'll be right back." Mulch told her. Juliet seemed to know why he was going.

"Oh no. If Artemis is in trouble, _I'm_ going. I need to look out for him."

"Look out for these guys right now." Mulch said and took off down the hall. Juliet growled and considered going after him but decided against it.

Mulch rounded the corner to see Artemis being dragged by a dwarf.

"Really now...how can someone so...small, be so...strong." He grunted, while struggling to get free. "I have money you know. A lot of it. I gave my watch away already...but I have more." The dwarf and Artemis looked over and saw him. Artemis sighed, relieved. "About time you got here."

Mulch realized that the dwarf holding him was familiar. "Rodney?"

"Diggums? What are _you_ doing here?" The dwarf, Rodney, let go of Artemis who was wondering how the two could possibly know each other. But there was no time for that. He would ask later. "You're working for the Oak's or the LEP?"

"The LEP, sort of. You let them hire you?"

"Yeah. Pays good enough. So what are you doing with the LEP? Last time I heard, you were on the run from them."

Artemis had been growing impatient and interrupted before Mulch could reply. "Sorry to put a halt on your reunion, but Mulch, we need to get Holly."

Rodney studied Artemis. "So...you weren't actually going to work for them?"

Artemis waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "Of course not, but I couldn't let them kill me."

"So are the LEP really paying you two then?"

"Nope." Mulch said, with surprisingly no regret, or at least very little. Artemis sighed, exasperated. Without waiting for Mulch, Artemis left, heading back toward the Oak's office. Mulch must have worked something out with Rodney, because they both joined him a second later. He shot a questioning glance at Rodney.

He shrugged. "The only reason I've stayed to work for those two morons is because I managed to get a ton of money from them."

Artemis decided not to comment because just then they had reached the room. He carefully and slowly opened the door and looked in. The room was now empty except for Holly and a single guard. Holly was tied up to a chair.

"Where did they go?" Artemis whispered to Rodney. The dwarf pointed to a door opposite them on the other side of the office. Artemis nodded. "Okay. I have a plan."

Holly had been working on getting rid of her bonds for a few minutes now. The Oaks were due back any second and she wasn't going to just sit there. The rope binding her two wrists was just beginning to loosen when one of the doors opened. She looked over to see that dwarf, Rodney, leading Artemis and Mulch in. The two had their hands behind their backs, so Holly figured that Rodney had caught Diggums and had tied both of them up. The guard walked over to Rodney.

"What's going on?"

"I found another trespasser. Where did Oak go?"

"Not sure, but he should be back any minute for the girl. You going to take those two downstairs?"

Rodney shook his head. "Oak may want to question this one. You can go; I'll wait here and keep an eye on these three." The guard seemed hesitant so Rodney added, "They're all tied up. They aren't going anywhere." The guard seemed to agree because he left the room, closing the door. As soon as the door was closed, Artemis and Mulch removed their hands from behind them, revealing they hadn't been tied up. Holly looked confused as Artemis hurried over to her.

"I thought you said that _you_ were supposed to be protecting _me_? And yet here I am, having to rescue you." He began untying the rope.

"Don't make me punch you again."

Artemis held his hands up. "No thank you. You've done that more than enough times already. Besides, that would be rather difficult task with your hands tied." He smirked.

"My hands may be but my feet aren't." She reminded him. Artemis narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hey! Hurry up there, won't you?" Mulch said, watching the monitors. Artemis quickly untied her.

"Thanks." She was about to go over to watch the monitors too but stopped for a second. "What was that for? When you told the Oak's that you would go to their side?"

"Oh, that. I figured that they would be expecting us and I didn't want them killing me right away. Although, they weren't supposed to take me to the basement. I didn't tell you because it had to look convincing."

"Well, I didn't know what to think for a minute. I hate how you leave out parts of the plan when telling everyone." She said and knew that he would never change. She walked over to the screens and Artemis followed. Soon, all four were transfixed by the scene playing out on the screen.

Outside the building, the LEP and Butler were at an advantage. So far, only two officers had been injured, and none had died. The mercenary side wasn't doing as well. The LEP were deadly accurate and more and more mercs were falling. Butler had yet to miss and was doing an excellent job of only wounding the mercenaries and not killing them.

Root watched as Juliet managed to lead the thirteen recovered fairies past the mercenaries. Any mercenary that saw them was quickly shot down by either Juliet or the LEP. When they reached the LEP's side, the civilians were immediately taken away from the fighting while the officers suited up and joined the battle. Juliet got her gun and found a spot near Root and Butler.

"Where's Diggums?" Root asked, trying not to worry about the convict.

"He got some message or heard something on the radio and went back for Artemis and Holly." She explained. Butler stiffened but forced himself to keep concentrating on the battle. _Artemis will be fine_, he told himself. Root also felt worried for Holly's sake and even a little for Mulch, but would never admit that to anyone.

A few minutes later, enough mercenaries had fallen to make the others nervous. A few surrendered while the rest retreated into the building. Root cursed and called Trouble over.

"Kelp, take half and go in through the right side door. Take Juliet with you too. I'll take Butler and the other officers and we'll go through the left door. There's only a few of them left that retreated. I'm leaving twenty here to secure the front and the wounded." Trouble went right to work, gathering officers.

Artemis watched as the mercenaries retreated and the LEP divided in half and entered the building. His helmet was gone but he still had his ear piece.

"Foaly, I need you to remove the loop on the cameras."

"Sure." Two seconds later, Artemis could see what was really going on inside the building. The LEP were cornering the rest of the mercenaries, who were determined to go down fighting. The LEP were using their shields to escape getting shot. Holly ran over and found her gun and helmet.

"Artemis, you stay here. I'm going to go help." She headed for the door and felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and looked right into deep blue eyes. Artemis knew that there was no point in trying to change her mind, as it was next to impossible. So instead, he only said, "Be careful." Holly opened her mouth to say something but closed it when the words wouldn't come. She fought with her emotions until, not sure what came over her, she leaned up and kissed Artemis on the lips. It only lasted a split second and then she was gone. Artemis stayed still, shocked.

Mulch had been watching the whole thing out of the corner of his eye and grinned when he saw the kiss. He turned away so they wouldn't know he had seen. He wasn't all that surprised. Even if they hadn't seen it, Mulch had noticed Artemis's and Holly's attitudes towards each other. They acted like they never got along, yet there were times that showed otherwise.

Artemis walked back over to the monitors and noticed Rodney's shocked expression and Mulch trying to hide his grin.

"You two didn't see anything." He warned them.

"See what?" Mulch asked innocently.

"I did!" Foaly's voice came through the earpiece, surprising Artemis. He had forgotten about the centaur and the iris cam. The said centaur had nearly fallen out of his chair when it happened. Artemis cheeks turned red and he took out the ear piece. He tried to pry his thoughts away from Holly and the kiss. It was his first one, but he would never reveal that to anyone. One of the monitors caught his attention, bringing him back down to reality. Holly had left to help Root, Mulch and Juliet had succeeded in rescuing the kidnapped fairies, but the Oaks had not been stopped. He hadn't exactly come here with the best plan and was ashamed of himself. Mulch and Rodney weren't looking at him right then, so he took the opportunity and left through the door the Oaks had gone through.

"Diggums!" Foaly hissed.

"What?" Mulch asked, watching the LEP and the mercenaries as if it were some action movie.

"Fowl left."

Mulch turned quickly and sure enough, Artemis was no longer in the room. "Where'd he go? He was here just a second ago." Mulch then saw the open door. "D'Arvit! That Mud Whelp has lost it. All he had to do was wait here in the safe room, away from all the fighting. But no." Mulch complained.

"Where is he going?" Rodney asked.

"I don't know, but Holly's going to kill me. So is Juliet." Mulch gulped. "And Butler." Mulch contemplated what to do. Finally, he growled and headed out the door, Rodney following. They found themselves in another hallway.

"This goes in between all the rooms and stuff. It's like having a backup hall or an escape route." Rodney explained.

Mulch nodded. "So which way would the Oaks have gone?"

"My guess is that way." Rodney pointed to the right. "The left dead ends after a few yards. But to go to the right would take us right to where the fighting is. Actually, that's about the last place I want to go right now. I'm still wanted for that bank job all those years ago."

"I had to serve two years for that one. I don't get how they got me but not you."

"Face it Diggums, you may be good at crime, but you're better at getting caught." Rodney smirked.

Mulch snorted. "Anyway, you don't have to go but I do. I've grown kind of fond of the kid. I owe him too. He got me out of a few centuries of prison. As of right now, the LEP have nothing on me. Except for the fact that I returned Artemis's memories, but we made a deal."

"The Mud Boy cleared your record?"

"Yup."

Luckily, Foaly had transferred over to a different connection, so he missed that small piece of information that Mulch so clearly let slip. But the kleptomaniac dwarf paid no attention. Rodney was thinking it over and finally decided it would be in his best interest if he helped the human.

"Okay, come on." Rodney led the way down the hall.

Artemis was almost at the end of the long hallway when he saw Oliver and Ivy Oak up ahead. They were watching their mercenaries through one of the doors. Oliver turned and saw him.

"Fowl! How did you get out?"

Artemis walked up to them casually. "I have my ways. I don't appreciate offering my services to someone, only to get locked up right away, to be saved for later."

"Well, we could use you now. Any bright ideas? My mercenaries are barely holding up against the LEP."

"Oh, I have plenty of ideas, but I'm afraid I won't be sharing them with you. You had your chance and blew it. Like I said before, the LEP have a better offer."

Oliver's eyes glinted furiously and even Ivy turned to glare at him. "Oh really? And just what is this _better offer_?"

"Friendship." Artemis replied simply.

"Friendship? So you never planned on helping us?"

"Correct, I wouldn't betray the people I care about." Artemis could see that his words had struck a mark in Ivy. She stormed up to him.

"The people _you_ care about? Let me tell you something Fowl. The people you care about killed the person I cared about."

"Your father." Artemis said knowingly.

"Yes, my father. You see, I had just been getting close to him when he was killed. I promised I would take revenge. What I don't understand is, your so called _friends_ mind wiped you. Even after you helped them with the B'wa Kell. So why do you still align yourself with them, knowing that they might do it again?"

Artemis fought to keep a straight face but inside, the remains of the monster he had once been conflicted with the new Artemis. Six years ago, he might have agreed with her. He would have wanted revenge for having his memories taken from him. Now, however, he only felt sorry for Ivy. She took his hesitation as a window of opportunity and jumped at it.

"You see? Even you kidnapped Short to get gold."

"Mrs. Oak, unfortunately, I used to be willing to go to great lengths to achieve my goals, no matter what the cost. Gold was always my top priority, and though I still love gold, I've realized how wrong I was." He said and Ivy snorted in disgust. Artemis decided to go out on a limb. Ivy seemed to be the more sensible of the two Oaks and misguided. "You know, it's not too late for you. The LEP are all here, your mercenaries are beaten...why don't you give up?" Artemis swallowed, not really believing he was going to say this next part. "Even if you somehow were successful in your revenge, what do you plan on doing then? Take over Haven? You're going to kill all the LEP for some mistake your father made?" Artemis struggled to get those words out. It was incredibly too sentimental for him and he was immensely glad that no one else was there to hear him utter such trash. But if he could get out of this without violence, he would try it. Just then he felt someone come up next to him. _Drat,_ he thought, _so maybe someone did hear._

After leaving Artemis, Holly had met up with Root who had been glad to see she was okay. Since she had always been pretty good at healing, Root wanted her healing all the officers who were injured. Holly would have much rather have gone and fought with the others, but didn't argue. So she put her magic to use healing officers. Anyone who was injured was taken into a room near the fighting. After she had healed most of everyone in the room, Holly was beginning to run low on magic and was exhausted. She paused for a break and was surprised to hear voices coming from the wall. Frowning, she put her ear up against the wall. Her heart almost stopped as she recognized the voices.

"D'Arvit! Couldn't that Mud Boy just do as he's told for once?" Holly said to herself as she ran from the room. After checking in each room, she finally found one with a door leading to that hidden hallway. She threw open the door and ran right into Mulch and Rodney.

"Oh, hey Holly." Mulch said, helping her off the floor.

"Mulch! Why did you let him go?" Holly demanded.

"I didn't, he just disappeared. We've been trying to find him."

"Well, I just heard him talking to the Oaks down there." She said, taking off with the two dwarves following. She could hear the voices again, coming up down the hall.

"Holly, wait!"

"Why?"

"Listen."

Holly stopped and the three of them listened as Ivy asked Artemis why he aligned himself wit the LEP. Holly's fists clenched, but she miraculously stayed still. Then she understood what Artemis was doing. He was trying to get her to surrender and Ivy seemed to sound convinced. Oliver was silent and she wondered what he was doing. "Okay, I'm going." She whispered to Mulch. He nodded and him and Rodney followed her. Holly had moved up next to Artemis before anyone took notice of her.

"Actually, if you two were to give it up now, I can guarantee your sentence would be lighter. After all, you have a clean record before this, and none of the fairies you kidnapped were harmed." Holly said and she knew that they almost had Ivy. Oliver had been switching his attention back and forth from the fight to Ivy and Fowl. But when he saw that Ivy was actually considering surrendering, he lost it.

"Ivy, you can't possibly give up now! Think of your father! Think of me, I'm your husband! You would betray me?"

"I'm not betraying you." She snapped. "It's over Oliver. Give it up now before it's too late. We had our chance and we blew it."

Before anyone knew what he was doing, he had grabbed Holly and was dragging her to the door. "Let go of me you creep." She hissed.

"Oh no, you're going to get the LEP to surrender. Root will give up when he sees you're in danger." Oak now held a small knife in his hand that he had grabbed from his pocket. Artemis had been in the process of rushing forward but had to stop suddenly when he saw the knife. Holly kept struggling until it was pushed up against her back. Mulch had also moved forward to help but stopped next to Artemis.

"Mulch, distract him. Do anything to get the knife away from Holly for at least a second." Artemis whispered.

"Anything?"

"Yes, just hurry."

Mulch nodded and casually turned around. Artemis's eyes widened as well as Holly's. Oliver paid no attention to him and Artemis knew it was only a matter of moments before he figured it out and then he may use Holly as a shield.

"Oak, let her go. She hasn't done anything to you."

"On the contrary, she's LEP. One way or another, I will get my revenge. Either the LEP surrender and they die or they refuse and Short dies. And no stupid Mud Boy will stop me."

"I beg to differ." While Oak had been talking, he had unconsciously moved to the side of Holly, focusing his attention only on Artemis. He hadn't even Mulch who had moved off to the side and his back flap had opened. He was now bent over and carefully taking aim. As soon as Artemis said, 'I beg to differ,' Mulch let loose a small but still powerful 'gust of wind.' Oliver saw it at the last second and tried to get out of the way. He only succeeded in moving enough for it to hit him in the arm. The force of it made him spin around. That's when Artemis made his move. He rushed forward and was somehow able to grab the knife. Oliver recovered just as Holly tore away from him. Furious, Oliver charged at Holly, who was nearest to him.

"Artemis, your gun!" Holly shouted. Artemis nearly smacked himself. He had forgotten all about the gun he had hidden. He fumbled with the controls on it and settled on medium blast, hoping it would just stun him. Oak wasn't paying attention to Artemis, instead trying to drag Holly to the door. Apparently he hadn't expected her to put up such a big fight. Holly would have won but Oak grew frustrated wit trying to get her out of there and finally pushed her hard up against the wall.

"Holly!" She slumped down unconscious. Artemis fired the gun, hitting Oak who also went down. Artemis was surprised to find that he had no qualms about shooting Oak when just a short while ago he had felt guilty for shooting that guard. Ivy ran over to check her husband while Artemis rushed over to help Holly. Mulch checked Oak to make sure he was out before going over to Artemis. Holly had a large lump on her head and a few tiny blue sparks were trying to heal it. Mulch frowned.

"She's really low on magic. I think she'll get healed buy may be out for awhile from exhaustion." He explained. Artemis nodded.

"What about Oak?"

"He's out for awhile too. Yu must have hit him pretty hard though." Mulch chuckled.

"I put it on medium."

"He may have lost a few brain cells then."

"I doubt he had that many left to loose." Artemis smiled a little. Just then, the door opened and Root and Butler came in followed by half a dozen officers. Butler ran over and checked Artemis to make sure he had no injuries. "I'm fine Butler." He said, a little impatiently. He was more concerned for Holly. Root sent officers to get Ivy and the still unconscious Oliver.

"Fowl what happened?" Root demanded. Artemis quickly explained the very last few minutes about Oliver trying to drag Holly out the door but instead pushed her up against the wall. He knew that Root wanted to know what happened to Holly mainly. Root sent for the medics for Holly and then Artemis explained Holly's guarantee to Ivy. Root reluctantly agreed. "And who's the other dwarf?" He asked. Rodney was over by Mulch, looking slightly uncomfortable with the LEP all around him. Now that Artemis had time to think, ideas began forming in his head.

Mulch and Rodney had moved off to the side to allow the LEP to take care of the situation. They watched as Artemis said something that surprised the Commander before walking their way. Rodney paled a little as the Commander spoke.

"You're Rodney?" He asked. Rodney nodded. "I should arrest you since you're still a wanted dwarf, but Fowl told me that you were able to convince Ivy Oak to surrender and helped saved Captain Short's life." Root waited for confirmation.

Rodney's eyes widened in surprise, as did Mulch's. Rodney looked up at Artemis who watched him calmly. "Yeah, I guess so." Rodney turned back to Root.

"I'm being way to lenient with you convicts, but I'm willing to forget that one bank incident in light of your help. But if you make one wrong move, I'll forget all about this." Root grumbled.

"Thank you sir." Rodney said in shock.

"Hey, Julius, aren't I going to get a thank you for helping to save you again?" Mulch asked. Root mumbled something inaudible and left. "Your welcome!" Mulch called after him and then turned back to Artemis who was also just about to leave. "So Arty, why did you give up your credit in helping?"

Artemis shrugged. "I don't like being a hero. It'll ruin my reputation. I figured Rodney could use it more than me."

"Oh, thanks." Rodney said surprised. This Fowl kid was full of surprises, that was for sure. "I owe you."

Artemis smiled and Rodney found the smile to be kind of intimidating. "Actually, I was thinking that since your employers will be locked up for a while, that makes you jobless. Am I right in thinking that you share Mulch's talents for breaking and entering?" Rodney found himself grinning.

"Yeah, I taught him everything he knows." Mulch said.

"Then perhaps you would be interested in joining Mulch and myself sometime."

Rodney's eyes widened again. "So instead of fifty-fifty, it'll be split in three?" Mulch asked, realizing it wouldn't be as much money for him. Although, he had plenty of money already, and he enjoyed the thrill and the challenge of stealing things rather than the reward coming from it.

"Yes, I suppose we'll just have to go for bigger and more expensive items, won't we? Rodney, come to my manor in about a week or two. Mulch can tell you where to find it. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Holly." Artemis walked away leaving Rodney bewildered. He had never worked with Mud Men before, but something told him he would get along just fine with this one.

"What did I tell? Arty's great." Mulch told his old partner and friend.

"Yeah, how did you two end up working together?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later."

**Review please and let me know what you think**.


	13. Temporary Goodbyes

**Author's Note: **This is the last chapter to this story. I want to thank everyonewho read this and especially those of you who reviewed. It meant a lot to me to know that there were people who read it and liked it. Thanks again for all of your support and I hope you like it.

**Knight of Eternal Darkness:** I really liked having Rodney in here and I thought it would be great to have him join Artemis and Holly. There's more Arty/Holly in this chapter

**-anon-anon-anon-: **Yeah, I found it harder to write Root then the others, with an exception of Artemis who was probably the hardest. It's hard writing about a genius when I'm not even close to being that smart:), but Root was hard too. There wasn't really a whole lot in this story of him though. And thanks, I'm glad that Artemis turned out okay.

**Arainia: **This is the last chapter, I'm sorry. I would have liked to keep going on but I also didn't want to drag it on either. I love fics that have a A/H/T triangle but I'm not good at writing them myself, as I'm afraid that I would make them to out of character. And yes, there is a bit more romance in this chapter, I don't think a whole lot though.

**Gwaihiril: **That's a good idea about the short story. I'll have to consider that. I think it would be a lot of fun, especially putting those three together.

And also thanks to: **jeweljade; absolute power; Captain Arianna Trouble; ReavenDawn; StickyWicket; ShadowMagicks; OperaGustus; me, obviously;**and**miroku-has-darkness**

**Chapter 13: Temporary Goodbyes**

**Holly's Home, Downtown Haven**

Holly slowly woke up. She laid there with her eyes closed trying to remember what happened. It all came back to her in an instant and her eyes flew open. She was in her room, which confused her. How had she gotten there?

"You're awake, good." She looked over to see Artemis sitting in the chair near her bed. He looked tired and relief was written all over his face along with concern. That surprised Holly; she had only seen him show concern very few times.

"Yeah, what happened?" She asked quietly.

"Oak pushed you up against the wall and knocked you out."

"What happened to Oak?"

"He was shot unconscious and he and Ivy are now in jail. You've been out for a few hours. It's around midnight right now."

Holly propped herself up onto her elbow. "Oh. Where's everyone else?"

"Commander Root was here at first but had a meeting with the Council. Butler, Juliet, Mulch, and Trouble were in your kitchen the last time I checked. Trouble brought everyone food if you're hungry. By the way, you weren't joking around about being untidy. I hope you don't mind me shoving a few things onto the floor, the chair had been full of clothes."

Holly smiled, embarrassed. "No, it's okay."

It was silent for a moment until Artemis said, "Butler, Juliet, Mulch and I leave for the surface tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh." Holly wasn't sure if she was surprised or not that she was disappointed. There was more silence. Holly didn't know what to say. After a minute, Artemis got up.

"Can I get you anything to eat? I'm not sure what all Trouble brought though."

"You haven't eaten yet?"

"I wasn't really hungry." Artemis said. It was partially the truth anyway. He had been more concerned about Holly than about eating, although he wouldn't admit that to anyone.

"Well, I'll eat if you do."

Artemis gave a small smile. "Fine, only because I don't want you to starve." Holly started to get up and Artemis rushed over. "Stay in bed. I'll bring it to you."

"No that's okay. I can get up." He gave her a doubtful look but she ignored it. She swung her feet off the bed and went to stand up but her legs weren't quite ready. Artemis quickly took hold of her arm and steadied her.

"See? You can't stand up on your own yet. Just lay back down and take it easy."

"No, just…just help me to the door. By then I'll be stronger."

"Holly…"

"Artemis." She countered sternly. He sighed.

"Alright." He kept his hand on her to hold her up. When they reached the door, Artemis reluctantly let go of her and sure enough, she was able to walk on her own. He stayed close to her nonetheless. They walked out and found that everyone had moved into the main room and were watching an old fairy movie. Juliet was the first one to notice them.

"Holly! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Great." She ignored all of their doubting expressions. Artemis's was not only doubt but concern that he didn't even try hiding. Holly sighed frustrated. "It was just a bump on the head people."

"Well, there's food in your kitchen." Trouble informed her. "I went to Marty's, I know how you love his food."

Holly smiled. "Yeah, thanks. How's he doing?"

"Fine. When he found out you were hurt, he threw in a few extra burritos for you."

"I'll thank him later." She turned and grabbed Artemis's arm and pulled him into the kitchen. "You need to eat too. You're going to try one of those burritos. They're the best under and above the Earth."

"I'm fine. I've never been a big fan of burritos." He said as they disappeared into the kitchen, leaving a room full of amused occupants. They had spent all night trying to get Artemis to leave Holly's room just long enough to eat and yet Holly had been the only one he ended up listening to. Mulch chuckled once the two were gone so they wouldn't hear. All four of them were not as oblivious as they let Artemis and Holly believe.

"Trust me, you'll like these." Holly told Artemis in the kitchen. Artemis carefully sat on one of the chairs at the table and Holly sat right across from him. Artemis held back a smile.

"_Trust you?_" He repeated.

"Yeah, they're great." She rummaged through the bag and passed him a wrapped burrito. He set it down and

looked at her.

"We seem to be encountering that issue a lot lately and as far as I know, you don't even trust _me_ and yet you now insist that I have to trust _you_. How very interesting." He managed to keep his face straight and his tone did not reveal whether or not he was joking around. Holly had been about to take a bite of her burrito but froze. She slowly lowered it back down to the table while studying his face.

"I trust you." She blurted out, surprising Artemis.

"Oh, you do now?"

Holly sighed. "Artemis, I've trusted you ever since going up against Koboi and Cudgeon, at least a little."

"If that's true, how come you didn't say that before?"

"You didn't give me a chance to. You were right though, friends do trust each other."

Artemis nodded, a small satisfied smile playing about his lips. He unwrapped his burrito and took a cautious bite. Holly chuckled as he took another bite so she knew he liked it. They ate in silence after that. Artemis finished his and asked for another. He reached into the bag to pull out one. As she was passing it over to him, his hand met hers, whether by accident of not she wasn't sure. They both froze, their hands touching while holding the burrito over the table. Holly raised her gaze to meet Artemis's. She felt her stomach get all fluttery. Why was she getting like this? There was no use in denying anymore that she liked, maybe even loved Artemis. But when had it happened? And why Artemis of all people? The two couldn't be more different. He was a human and a lot younger compared to her. Yet despite everything, she had fallen for him. She just wasn't willing to admit that just yet, to anyone but herself.

She quickly pulled her hand back and adverted her gaze. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"For what?" Artemis asked confused. Holly just shook her head. After a minute, Artemis decided he wanted to know something. "Holly, earlier, in the Oak's building…"

"I wasn't really thinking. I was stressed and worried. I shouldn't have…"

Artemis willed his face to stay impassive as not to show what he was really feeling. "Of course. I understand." He said, somehow able to get his voice to come out normal. He went back to his burrito and Holly felt her heart break. It's for the best, she told herself. Although, she didn't believe it for one second.

They finished and walked back out to where the others still sat. All of the room's occupants, except for Juliet who was barely staying awake, noticed the difference in the two and wondered what had happened. No one said anything with an exception of Juliet who yawned. Trouble stood up.

"Well, I guess I'll get going. Uh, I only have room for maybe two of you to drive back to the plaza." Trouble said.

"I can drive the other two." Holly offered.

"No."

"I don't think so."

Trouble and Artemis said at the same time. Holly glared at them both. "I already told you I'm fine."

"I'd still rather not have you driving yet." Trouble told her. Holly sighed.

"Fine, then the other two can stay here."

"I'll go with Kelp." Mulch volunteered. Butler, not willing to let Artemis out of his sight again, even if it was just for the night, said, "Juliet will go to." Trouble nodded and led the two out the door after saying goodnight.

"Okay, well, one of you will have to sleep on the couch while the other one on the floor. I'll get you some blankets and pillows." Holly left the room. Artemis looked over to Butler.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, that's okay. I barely fit on this couch anyway."

Artemis wouldn't change his mind though. He didn't say anything, just walked over and found a place on the floor. Butler frowned.

"Artemis, you don't have to do this. Just because I'm not as fit as I used to be, or as young, that doesn't mean I can't handle one night on the floor."

"I know-"

"I'm supposed to be watching out for you, not the other way around."

"And I wouldn't entrust my safety to anyone else. I know you are more than capable of spending one night on the floor. I'm just attempting to be generous, and you're making it difficult. Now, as your employer and friend, I am telling you to sleep on the couch." Artemis said sternly. Now he knew why he had never bothered before with trying to be nice to others. They made it so difficult. It was easier to just be selfish. Butler's face had amusement written on it, making Artemis scowl.

"Thank you." Butler said sincerely.

"Your welcome." Artemis mumbled. Holly walked back in and passed out the blankets. She watched Artemis fumble with them for a few minutes before allowing herself a smirk and then went to help him. Butler had arranged himself so his feet hung over the end of the couch. Once Artemis had his blanket-bed set up, Holly left the room. "Goodnight Holly." Artemis called. She paused and then said a quick 'goodnight' back. She closed her door halfway and got into bed. She could faintly hear Artemis and Butler talking and after a few minutes it died down.

She tried for two hours to fall asleep, turning every which way but with no success. She eventually gave up and decided to get something to drink to see if that would help. As she was going to the kitchen, she noticed Artemis wasn't lying down. A quick sweep of the room told her he wasn't there at all. Frowning, she went towards the kitchen but stopped when she saw him. He was sitting in a small couch that she had by a window. She walked quietly up to him, barely making a sound, but he still must have heard her or sensed her.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked as she sat down next to him.

"Nope. What about you?"

"I have a lot on my mind again I suppose. More so than usual anyway." They were silent as Artemis still looked out the window where part of Haven was visible. The streets were still alive with fairies hurrying along. Holly realized that the news must have spread about the Oaks capture because she hadn't seen Haven that busy since the kidnapping had started. "I don't know how you and the rest of the People can stand it." Artemis said. Holly looked up at him confused. His face was pensive and didn't look back.

"Stand what?"

"Living underground. Not being able to breathe fresh air or see natural sunlight."

"Or the stars and ocean." Holly added sadly. She felt Artemis flinch a little. Not for the first time, she wondered what all was going on in his head. "We've grown used to it for the most part. However, all of us have a part of us that wishes that we could get back up there. It's why they all look forward to performing the ritual or visiting those who do live up there."

Artemis thought for a moment. "I can understand why you hate all humans then." He said softly.

"Not all humans." She replied, just as soft. She noticed that he still hadn't looked at her and her heart twisted. After another period of silence, she said, "It was nice of you to give up the couch for Butler." He didn't say anything. "Why did you do it?"

"Is it so wrong to actually do something generous? Apparently everybody is under the impression that it's impossible for me to show kindness and I must say, that if this is what I'll get for it, I won't bother." He said coldly, surprising her. He was looking at her now, and even in the darkness, his blue eyes glinted angrily.

"I never thought that about you and don't you be like that. You've shown it a few times since I've met you but you always try to hide it. I was just wondering what the reason behind it was." She said sternly. Artemis didn't look as angry or uptight. After awhile, he finally began talking quietly.

"I just felt that the least I could do for him would be to allow him the luxury of the couch for the night. After all, he's saved my life countless times and is a very good friend, I felt that I owed him at least that."

Holly watched him closely, not all that shocked. He had shown earlier that he could care for others, but like she had said earlier, he tended to hide whatever reasoning he had for his actions. She saw him lean back and close his eyes and knew he was getting tired. She was still watching him when she yawned herself and felt the days events catching up to her finally. It wasn't long until she felt herself leaning against Artemis, nearly asleep. She felt him go tense and couldn't hold it any longer.

"Artemis?" She sat up and looked at him and he opened an eye, watching her. "I didn't mean it when I said that earlier. The kiss wasn't a mistake."

His face seemed to show his relief and he smiled. "Good." Was all he said. She leaned in and kissed him, making this one last longer than their first. After a split second, Artemis began kissing her back and his body relaxed. He moved his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. When they eventually pulled apart, they were both panting slightly. He kept his arms around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Who would have guessed that she would fall in love with the People's former enemy number one? For all she knew, she could get into a load of trouble from her Commander or from the Council. But at that moment, she couldn't care less. The only thing that she cared about at that moment was how good it felt to be in Artemis's embrace.

Artemis heard and felt her breathing get deeper and knew she had fallen asleep. It was a new feeling for him to care about someone as much as he did for Holly and after the initial shock, he discovered that it was quite pleasant. He was unsure of a lot of things but he figured that it would turn out okay. He had been incredibly relieved to discover Holly hadn't meant what she said before. He figured he knew why because he had been considering the same thing. She was an elf and a LEPrecon officer while he was a human and a criminal. He also knew that there was a chance that the others wouldn't accept them together. It would be pointless to keep it a secret from them for long as they probably already suspected something. Artemis allowed himself a small smirk as he imagined Root's reaction if he found out. Listening to Holly's breathing, he fell asleep as well.

* * *

The next day, Holly drove Artemis and Butler to the LEP Plaza which was only a few minutes from her place. Juliet was still asleep but Mulch was wide awake. Artemis found him at one of the vending machines in the cafeteria. Butler had gone to pack and Holly had gone to check in with Root.

"Do I even want to know where you're getting all this money?" Artemis asked, almost scolding like as he came up behind the dwarf. Mulch jumped but when he saw who it was, he grinned. Artemis shook his head. "Isn't it a little risky stealing from LEP officers in the LEP station?"

"Nah, not really. It's just ironic and a lot of fun."

"You do realize that as soon as they find their belongings missing, they'll blame you right away."

Mulch shrugged. "That would be why we're leaving in a few minutes." Artemis smirked.

"Wait here, I'm going to go say bye to Johnny and thank him. I think I'll see if I can get some of that pie too."

Mulch went back to stuffing his pockets with food from the vending machines, so by the time Artemis got back with his pie, Mulch was almost five pounds heavier. As they were walking down the hall, Artemis noted Mulch grinning.

"What?"

"You look a lot happier than you did last night."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Artemis said as innocently as he could.

"So, you and Holly made up?"

"Who said we ever fought?"

"Well, something happened when you two went into the kitchen, because when you came out, you looked all sad and boring, so did Holly." Artemis stayed silent and Mulch knew he wouldn't get any answer or explanation. "Are you two together then? Because, you know, that will make it kind of hard for us to keep up criminal activities if you're dating a LEP captain. I don't think Holly's the type to just turn her back to let us break the law."

"Don't worry, noting will change." Artemis assured him.

"Good, because as much as I think you two make a good couple, I don't know if I could last very long going straight."

He didn't reply but Artemis partly felt the same way. He knew it would be extremely difficult to go straight and part of him felt that he _should_ go straight. They reached their temporary rooms and saw Holly, Trouble, Juliet and Butler were all out in the hallway talking.

"I'd appreciate it if you were to keep it quiet about Holly and me." Artemis whispered to Mulch.

"No problem, but I think they already suspect something."

"How?"

"We've all seen the looks you two give each other and your attitudes around each other."

Artemis turned red. "Oh."

They joined the others who were just talking about what they were leaving. "Artemis, you should start packing. I'm to take you four to E1 in under an hour." Holly told him as he stood right next to her.

"Alright." He was just about to enter his room when she asked to no one in particular, "What ever happened to that dwarf? The Oak's bodyguard."

Artemis froze, as did Mulch who had a half opened candy bar raised almost to his mouth.

"Commander Root cleared him of his charges from some bank robbery, sine he managed to convince Ivy Oak to surrender and saved your life." Trouble explained to her. Holly looked downright confused. She opened her mouth to say something but Artemis stopped her.

"She was already unconscious at that point." Artemis put a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a hard look but didn't question further. She would ask him later. Mulch relaxed and carried on with eating. Trouble and Juliet both watched the two with first confused then amused expressions. When Artemis saw them, he quickly removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step away. Mulch fought back a laugh so it came out a snort instead. Artemis rolled his eyes and left to pack. That only made Mulch start laughing harder, causing him to start choking. As everyone else became distracted with helping him, Holly took the opportunity to slip into Artemis's room. "I was wondering if you would come." Artemis smiled. He had already set his suitcase on the bed and was starting to pack.

"I waited until Mulch started choking." She explained with a chuckle. She knew Mulch was fine.

"Convenient." Artemis had an odd look.

"He knows doesn't he?" She asked.

"Yes. I didn't tell him, but he apparently could tell when he saw me." Artemis told her. Holly sat down on the bed

so she was facing him.

"That means it won't be long until everyone else knows." Artemis sat down beside her.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but it will make it even more difficult." She sighed.

"I agree. But we don't have to worry about Mulch. He won't give us away, at least intentionally. He'll cover for us. I'm not so sure about Foaly though."

"Foaly knows too?"

"Well, he was a witness to our first kiss."

Holly smacked her head. "The iris cam. Great, that means it won't be long until Root finds out." Artemis took her smaller hand in his and she leaned against him. They were both not willing to talk about what would happen later on. There were to many factors against them having a relationship. Artemis knew they couldn't hide forever but at the moment he just wanted to enjoy it. In an hour he would be saying goodbye and he wasn't sure when he would see her again.

* * *

Outside in the hall, Mulch recovered from choking just as Foaly came up, carrying a box.

"Have any of you seen Holly?"

All but one of them looked around confused. "She was here a second ago." Butler said.

"Oh, she said she had some errand she had to run." Mulch lied. Foaly frowned.

"She said she needed these right away."

"I'll take them. I think I know where she went, so I'll deliver it to her."

Foaly thought about it. "I guess. As long as you actually give it to her." He handed the box over to him. Trouble left and Butler and Juliet went to finish getting ready. "So where is she really?" Foaly asked, surprising Mulch.

"Hey! I thought it was convincing."

"It was. They believed it. But I know better."

Mulch sighed, defeated. "She's in with Arty."

Foaly grinned. "Thought so."

"Well, don't go telling everyone. Artemis wanted it kept a secret for now."

Foaly pouted. "Too bad, I wanted to tell Julius." Mulch's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I was just kidding." Foaly assured him. "I wouldn't do that to Holly."

"If Julius were to find out, they would both need all the protection they could get." Mulch chuckled. Foaly nodded, smirking at the thought of Julius exploding when he found out. But he hadn't been lying to Mulch when he said he wouldn't tell. Even though he had decided that it was best that Holly and Artemis hadn't discovered their feelings for each other and that it would be better once Artemis had returned home, now that they had gotten together, Foaly had every intention of helping them out. They would both more than likely get into a ton of trouble and Foaly was determined to delay that as long as possible. He just wondered how long that would last.

"So, what's in the box?" Mulch asked.

"Holly wanted two communicators. I think I know why now."

Mulch walked over towards Artemis's door. "You think it's safe to interrupt?" He asked Foaly. Foaly merely smirked. Mulch knocked.

"Yes? Who is it?" Artemis called.

"Me, Mulch."

"Come in."

Mulch turned to Foaly. "I guess it's safe." He opened the door to see them sitting on the bed. "Awe, Foaly, get the camera."

"Shoot, I left it back in the booth." Foaly said, walking in. Holly or Artemis didn't even bother to move seeing as though those two already knew about them. Mulch walked over to them and gave the box to Holly. "I got those things you asked for." Foaly told her.

"Thanks Foaly."

"What is it?" Artemis asked.

"I'll show it to you later." Holly said and put it to the side.

"Okay, well, I need to get back to my booth. I'll see you before you leave." Foaly left and Mulch decided to go to. Artemis pulled Holly back down when she tried to get up.

"Hey!" As she fell onto his lap. He smirked.

"What's in the box?"

"A surprise." Holly grunted, trying to get up.

"I don't like surprises."

"Too bad."

Artemis pouted again, sending Holly into a fit of giggles. "Still think it looks ridiculous?" He asked.

"I never thought it did. I think it makes you look adorable."

"Really? I think that's a first for me." Holly chuckled again. She kissed him quickly before trying to get back up once again. "What's the rush?" He asked her.

"You're leaving in an hour. You need to pack."

"That will only take a minute. I'm comfortable right now."

Holly was too, but she knew they couldn't waist time. "Let me up you spoiled, lazy Mud Boy."

"Conceited, stubborn fairy."

Holly finally gave up, realizing he wouldn't let go of her. Defeated, she slumped back down on his lap, wondering how he suddenly seemed so strong. Although, it could have been that she hadn't been trying all that hard in the first place. "So, why did you lie for that dwarf?"

"Excuse me?" Artemis tried to act confused but Holly saw right through it.

"Don't play innocent Fowl. I wasn't unconscious for that part. You were the one that talked Ivy Oak into surrendering and it was you and Mulch who saved me. Why did you do it?"

Artemis was glad that she couldn't see his face just then because he hated to have to lie to her, or at least keep part of the truth from her. "I figured someone else could have the credit. I don't need it and he did help me save you before that." Artemis was getting annoyed with himself. Why did he have to feel so guilty? He wouldn't tell Holly the main reason was that he wanted Rodney as another partner in crime. Yet, it hurt him to not tell her that. Usually he only felt guilty when lying to his parents, mainly his mother, and that had been more than enough. Frustrated and confused, he let go of Holly and stood up. She could tell there was something wrong but didn't ask, just this once, which relieved him slightly. She helped him quickly pack all his things. They were just about to go when there was another knock at the door and Mulch came in.

"Hey, sorry to bother you again, but any of you wouldn't by any chance have another bag I can borrow would you? Mine sort of ripped."

"To much stuff?" Artemis smirked, knowingly. Mulch rubbed the back of his neck, nervously.

"Yeah, I guess."

"We probably have some in the storage room. Come on." Holly said and led Mulch out. Artemis took his bags and dragged them out to the hallway.

* * *

About an hour later, three humans, a dwarf, and an elf all stepped out of the hidden entrance at Tara. They had said goodbye to Foaly, Trouble, and Commander Root, who had all thanked them for helping. Root had kept his end of the deal and had managed to convince the Council that it was safe to leave Artemis with his memories and had let Mulch go. Foaly had equipped Mulch with more sunscreen but once on the surface, he realized that he wouldn't be needing it as it was pouring rain. Artemis had immediately began protesting when he recalled how long they had walked from the car. They would have to make that trip again, only in the rain this time.

"Oh, stop complaining." Holly told him, stepping out into the rain. The others were already heading back to the car. Artemis had hung back for a few minutes and was currently seeking shelter from the rain under a tree. He was leaning against it, arms crossed and watching her.

"Easy for you to say. Your outfit is waterproof." He said grumpily. Holly grinned and ran over to him.

"Come on." She grabbed hold of his hands and pulled him out into the rain. He flinched at first and wished for an umbrella, but he soon relented at seeing Holly so happy. In seconds, his expensive clothes were completely drenched but he paid them no attention. Holly pulled out her pack and handed him something.

"What's this?" He asked, trying to keep the gadget dry.

"I asked Foaly for two of them. It's a communicator so we can talk." Holly explained. Artemis nodded and pocketed it. "There's a catch though." She said.

"And what's that?"

"Well, the Commander called me when we were on the shuttle and said that since the Council has agreed to letting you keep your memories of the People, they expect you to help whenever the occasion calls for it."

"I suppose I can do that." Artemis said after taking a second to think about it.

"Good. I'll walk you to the car because I forgot to tell Mulch about his own proposition." They began walking and Holly put her hand in his. Artemis was new at the whole thing and Holly seemed to know that. They stopped a little ways off so they would have some privacy. Artemis had to kneel down so he was face to face with her, however, he failed to pay attention to where he was kneeling and ended up in a puddle. Holly laughed as he began grumbling about his ruined pants. She interrupted his complaining by kissing him. _That shut him up,_ she thought before losing herself in the kiss.

Artemis eventually broke the kiss and grinned. "Still think I'm not the romantic type? I seem to recall hearing that kissing in the rain was romantic." He teased and Holly bit back a smile. Artemis was almost always so serious and composed, but she had seen a whole new side to him in the last few days.

"I think you're mistaken though. _I _kissed _you. _So that makes _me_ the romantic one."

"On the contrary Captain, I kissed you." He was still smirking, very much enjoying arguing.

"Fowl-" He cut her off with a quick kiss.

"There, but you can keep the title of the romantic one. It might ruin my reputation if people were to discover that not only am I a cold, calculating, criminal mastermind, but I am also romantic and have a way with women…well, I wouldn't know what to do." His face was now serious, but his eyes still showed his amusement.

"Way with the girls, huh?" Holly asked, her eyes now narrowed.

Artemis nodded. "Yes, I do believe that a certain Corporal Frond had been attracted to me. Who could blame her, really?" Artemis said, doing his best to sound stuck-up and succeeded as it was not exactly a foreign act for him. Holly knew that he was putting on an act and returned the favor. She looked genuinely shocked and insulted. She gently pushed him but she underestimated her strength and overestimated his because he fell backwards, pulling her with him.

"Now look what you did Fowl. I'm all muddy."

"_You're_ all muddy? You're not even touching the ground." It was true. Holly had fallen on top of Artemis whose back was now covered completely with mud. Holly started laughing but Artemis didn't join in.

"I think your nick name, Mud Boy, suits you perfectly."

"Very funny Captain."

"I think so." Holly got up and then helped him up and they headed up to the car. Butler was sitting up front, as was Juliet, with Mulch in the back. When he saw Artemis, he burst out laughing.

"What have you two been doing?" He asked accusingly, still laughing. Holly and Artemis both turned red.

"We didn't do anything. Now stop laughing so I can tell you something." Holly snapped. Mulch stopped but was still grinning. "The Commander wanted me to offer you a job. Actually, I don't think it was his decision but didn't have a choice."

Mulch stopped grinning. "What do you mean? What kind of job?"

"Not as an officer, but more as an informant." She elaborated and Mulch narrowed his eyes. "All you have to do is let us know of anything going on that we need to hear about. You know, like meetings where stolen goods are being exchanged, or something like that. You'll be getting paid as well. I'm also fairly positive that you would be able to remain aboveground to do it, as long as you're still able to get information up here. You'll get more specific instructions if you accept."

Mulch thought about it. "Do you need an answer right now?"

"No. Just let me know when you do decide."

"Okay, I'll consider it."

Holly nodded. She then turned to say goodbye to Artemis. "I guess I'll talk to you later. Maybe tonight?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, I'll keep the communicator with me."

"Okay. Hey, I have a lot of vacation time saved up. Maybe if you're home, next week, I could stop by?"

Artemis smiled. "I'll be there."

"Okay then. Bye." She disappeared and Artemis could faintly see her start her wings and then she shielded and was gone. Artemis shut the door to the limo and Butler started the car. As they were driving, Artemis rolled down the divider and turned to Butler.

"Butler, will you please cancel any plans we had for next week?"

"Certainly sir."

Artemis nodded and leaned back against the seat. Mulch was already going through his bag where he had wallets, passports, ID cards to get into the LEP building, and other things. Artemis recalled telling him earlier that something worthwhile may yet come from helping the LEP and he had been right. Mulch and him had gained a new partner and friend; Mulch had been offered a job that would keep him in the good graces of the LEP; Artemis had gotten to keep his memories, however on the condition of having to be on call to help the LEP whenever; and lastly and most importantly in Artemis's opinion, he had gotten Holly.

* * *

Holly watched them drive away before flying off to do the ritual and then to the shuttle entrance to return to work. She couldn't wait to get home that night and definitely couldn't wait until next week.

Fin

**Final AN: **Well, that's it. I really hope you all enjoyed it. I'm currently working on another Artemis Fowl fic at the moment. It's not a sequal to this one though. I was actually hoping that someone might want to edit it for me. It's a crossover, but it's one of those ones where you don't have to know about the other to read this fic, at least that's what I'm going for. So I was hoping that someone would volunteer to edit it once I'm done to see if it makes since or if I should fix it at all. It is a AH fic, so whoever wants to, might want to be a fan of that pairing. Just let me know in an email or review. Thanks again to those who have reviewed and please send one final one to let me know your final thoughts.

Aperfectattitude


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